A Way of Working Out
by Nathan's Manna
Summary: AU Haley has to choose between the two men of her dreams. Which one will have his heart broken?
1. Chapter 1

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is a story that I wrote with totally different characters, it wasn't originally a fanfic, but I decided that I could convert it. In this story, Lucas and Nathan are not brothers, but they were classmates in school. Brooke is a co-worker of Haley's (they work at a photo store), and Peyton is Haley's best friend from college. Tim and Jake are Nathan's best friends. Mouth is a friend of Haley's as well. The only character from the show that's a friend of Lucas' is Skills. All of his other friends are of my own creation. Oh, and instead of basketball, they play baseball. Remember, this is totally AU. I don't own any of the characters from One Tee Hill.**

**Please review.**

Haley stood at the counter talking to Brooke. She couldn't believe how slow it was, although Saturdays typically were like this. Unbelievably bored, they starred into the parking lot, wishing for a customer. Just then a car actually pulled into the parking lot. As a woman stepped out of the car, Haley turned to Brooke, "Think she's going to the fabric store?"

"Most definitely. I'll never understand why they park so far away."

"Me neither," just then, they noticed a 'cute boy' step out of the passenger side. The woman stops, turns to him, and appears to say something. Once he reaches the point where she's standing, they walk together to the store.

Haley mumbles, "Oh, my, God."

"I know," Brooke comments, "talk about robbing the cradle. I REALLY hope that's her son, and not her boyfriend."

"Oh, that's her son alright," Haley tried to remain calm.

"How do you know for sure?"

The pair approaches the door, "Because that's Nathan and his mom."

"You're not serious."

"100"

"You gonna talk to him?"

"The best I can. Remember, I did talk to him two Novembers ago."

"Oh, right, how COULD I forget," Brooke snickered.

The door chimed, and Nathan held the door for his mom and followed her in. Deb headed over by the albums while Nathan walked up to the counter.

Amanda stepped forward, "Hi, how are you?"

"Good. And you?"

"Not too bad. What can I do for you?"

"I think my mom has pictures to pick up."

Haley smiled, "What's the last name?" Brooke and Nathan both looked at her in shock. "Just kidding," she chuckled as she sifted through the 'S' file. "Yeah, here it is."

"So what have you been up to lately?"

"Not a whole lot. I spend a lot of my time here. I've been trying to catch up with old friends this summer."

"How's that going for ya?"

"Not very well. We're not the same people we were five years ago. Most of us seem to be in different places, continuing to drift further apart."

"I know what you mean. Although some of us have remained friends through the drifts."

"That's cool. What have you been up to?"

"Trying, unsuccessfully I might add, to find a 'real' job."

"Ehh, real jobs are overrated," Haley laughed and glanced at Brooke who was watching the whole exchange. She also eyed Deb peeking over the albums.

Nathan seemed to notice as well, "Isn't that the truth. Well, it seems as if my mom's ready to go."

"Okay, so this is all for you then?"

Deb glared at her son and motioned something to him. "Yeah, I think that's all she needs. But I was wondering if you'd like to meet after you get done here, to catch up with an old friend."

"I'd like that. Where do you want to meet?"

"How about The Rib Shack since it's right here. What time are you off?"

"We close at six," Haley smiled.

Nathan turned to walk out, "So I'll meet you then?"

"That sounds great."

"Great. Well, I'll see you later then."

"See ya."

As the Scotts turned and walked out of the store, Brooke turned back to Haley, "Nicely played."

Haley acted oblivious, "What?"

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about. You've got a date with the guy of your dreams."

"No, you need to get your eyes checked. That was NOT James Lafferty."

"You know what I mean."

Haley sighed, "It's not a date. We're just a couple of cold friends getting together to catch up. You heard him."

"It's a date. He just said that because you gave him the idea. I saw his mom watching. He cam in with the plan, or intention, of asking you out." Brooke turned to the back, "Do we need Brian's opinion?"

"No! I don't want anyone but you to know about this until after - can you promise me that?"

"As long as you promise to spill the beans first thing tomorrow," Brooke paused, "Oh, and tell me about it before you tell Mouth."

"It's a deal, I promise." Haley tried to stay calm for the rest of the day, but found it next to impossible. She didn't even call Peyton to fill her in on what was happening.

* * *

A little while later, Brooke pulled Haley aside, "I've been thinking. What's Lucas going to say about this?" 

"Ugh, don't remind me. I keep thinking about that. But this is just a friendly visit, in a very public place."

Brooke gave her a look, "Are you going to tell him?"

"Of course. But not until afterwards. They were friends, he'll understand. I can't pass this up Brooke. It's my one chance to find out if I'd ever have a chance. I need to know. And I hope Lucas is man enough to accept that. If not, I just might have to reevaluate our relationship."

"You're serious, aren't you?" Brooke couldn't believe this, not after everything that Haley had been through with Lucas. "You'd really risk it all for the slightest possibility with Nathan."

"Our relationship's already rocky, you know that. It really hasn't been good since, well, you know. But even if it was," Haley paused before continuing, "Yeah, I would. I love Lucas, but I feel that for the Nathan I once knew. I just don't know that he's the same great guy I knew in school. I owe it to myself to find out though. If anything, it could strengthen my relationship with Lucas."

"Just don't forget about him tonight."

"Don't worry, I won't."

* * *

**Okay, so do you want more. The story is completed on paper, but I need to know whether I should continue to type it up or not. Let me know.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you SO much to those who have already reviewed the first chapter, and recieved it so well! Definately keeps me wanting to update! By request, I will try to have the story finished before October 5! Please keep up the great reviews!

* * *

**

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 2

* * *

Haley was sitting in the back room eating her lunch when Brooke arrived at work.

"So, how was your date?" Brooke asked quietly.

Haley checked to make sure no one was coming, "I had a nice time, but it wasn't a date."

"What happened?"

"We had a couple drinks. We talked. We laughed."

"Talked about what?"

"What we've done since high school, our plans for the future. Relationships."

"Is he seeing anyone?"

"Not anymore. He just got out of a serious relationship. They were even talking marriage. But he said that he didn't see her when he envisioned his future. That he would only be settling, thinking that marriage was the next logical step after college."

"Did you tell him about Lucas?"

"Didn't have to. He already knew, I'm guessing he was at the reunion, although I don't remember seeing him." Haley thought momentarily, she probably hadn't seen him because there'd been a lot going on during that time. "Anyway, he said that was what made him approach me. That he could let himself believe we were only getting together as friends. Although he did ask how serious we are."

"So he's really interested."

"Yeah, I think so."

"What did you tell him?"

"That I love Lucas, but that I don't know where the relationship's going."

"What did Lucas think about you going for drinks with Nathan?"

Haley grimaced, for the second time in her life, she was keeping secrets from her boyfriend, "I didn't tell him. It's not like I'm cheating on him or anything." Then she thought silently, 'Not this time anyway.'

"Not yet you're not. You NEED to tell him. Does he know about your obsession with Nathan?"

"Of course not. I packed all that stuff away when we got together. That's besides the point. We're going to dinner tonight, and I'm going to talk to him about Nathan then. We'll have to see."

"Well, good luck."

"Thanks."

Brooke began to walk away, then turned back to Haley, "If you had to choose, right now at this very moment, who'd you pick?"

"I don't know if I could."

"Just wondering."

* * *

**Sorry this chapter's so short, but I'm working on the next one, it should be up tonight. **


	3. Chapter 3

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 3

Haley sat fidgeting, looking at Lucas across the table from her. He looked so happy. She really hated the idea of telling him something that could quite possibly ruin his good mood.

Lucas watched as Haley fidgeted. He could tell that something was up, but was unsure what it was. He reached across the table and placed his hand on hers. Looking into her eyes, he questioned her, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know," Haley sputtered.

"Well, which is it?" Lucas was becoming slightly nervous.

"I don't know."

"You know you can tell me anything."

"I know. That's why this is so hard," Haley paused, and took a deep breath before continuing, "Remember how I called last night and said I'd be home late because I was going to have a few drinks with a friend?"

Lucas nodded his head, fearing the worst. He prayed that this wasn't going to be the Mouth situation all over again.

"Well, that friend was Nathan Scott."

"That's awesome. How's he doing?"

"He's doing fine. But there's more."

"More?"

"Yes. During our conversation, it was mentioned that he has feelings for me."

"How did you respond to that?"

"Like any loving girlfriend would. I told him that I was seeing you. He told me that he knew we were together. That he took it as the chance to tell me. Because then, being the nice person that I am, I wouldn't feel like I needed to return the sentiment."

"That's kind of odd. But if that's all it was, what's bothering you so much?"

Haley looked away.

"There's more isn't there," Lucas looked at Haley, "Isn't there."

"Yes. Lucas, I am so sorry," Haley started to cry.

"You slept with him! Is this Mouth all over again?"

"No! God no. But there's something you need to know. Up until this past year, just a few months before we got together, Nathan was 'the one.' I'd had deep feelings for him since middle school, on and off again of course. But in March, I gave up the dream. We'd had our chances, both of us, but we never did anything. So I decided it would never be more than that - a dream. It was hard at first. And all of my friends knew that if I ever had the chance with Nathan, I would take it."

Lucas just stared at her, a look of sorrow on his face.

"But now that I'm with you, and love you, I find out that he has feelings for me too. I just feel torn."

"But you don't really love me," Lucas stated solemnly.

"What?" Haley was shocked.

"Don't deny it. If you truly did, the thing with Mouth wouldn't have happened."

"It was a mistake. He was vulnerable."

"But you weren't." Lucas sat quietly before asking, "What does Peyton think?"

"She doesn't know."

"You tell her everything."

"I wanted to wait."

"I think you should take the chance."

Haley gasped, "What!"

"You should go for it."

"But what about us, about you?"

"I don't want to be your second choice. To forever know that you love someone else mre than me. Maybe Mouth was just the beginning. You need to find out if you're truly over him. If you are, my door is open. Until then, well, I guess I wait."

"What are we going to do about our living situation?"

"I'll move home. Karen and Keith will understand. I'll just tell them that we decided we weren't quite ready to live together."

"Couldn't you just move into a different room?"

"I don't think so. I couldn't handle you bringing him home. Besides, you already have one male roommate, whom you've also slept with may I remind you. Having two ex-lovers living there and bringing home your new boy-toy probably isn't the greatest idea. It might scare him." Lucas couldn't believe he'd just said that. If Nathan got scared, it would pave the path for him. But, he knew this needed to be done.

"Lucas, you are the greatest," she leaned over to kiss him.

He backed away, "I hope you still think so in the end."

"Can I still see you?" Haley couldn't believe things with Lucas were really over.

"Of course. You know the number," Lucas stood up, threw some money on the table and said, "I'll be gone by tomorrow when you get home from work."

As Lucas walked away, Haley whispered, "I'll always love you, no matter what."


	4. Chapter 4

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 4

* * *

Haley waited several days before calling Nathan. She had to decide if she was doing the right thing. Finally she had come to the realization that she'd lose them both if she didn't do this. Picking up the phone, she dialed the number he'd given her on Saturday. After what seemed like forever, the answering machine clicked on. "Hi Nathan, this is Haley, give me a call when you get a chance, 555-2323."

* * *

A few hours later she called Peyton, "My life is such a mess." 

"Hello to you too."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. What's wrong?"

Haley started talking at warp speed, "Lucas and I broke up on Sunday and he moved out, at least for now. I went out with Nathan on Saturday. I called him today and left a message but he hasn't returned my call. What if he's screening his calls and doesn't want to talk to me?"

"Hold on. Back up and slow down a bit. You and Lucas broke up and he moved out?" Peyton paused, "but it's not about Mouth."

"Why does everyone keep mentioning that. Honestly. Yes, Lucas moved out. He's giving me the space he thinks I need to make the right decision."

"About Nathan?"

"Yes."

"Nathan Scott?"

"Yes."

"When did he come back into the picture?"

"He was in the store on Saturday, and asked me out for a drink. He said he really likes me. I was so torn. I told Lucas, and HE was torn."

"I can only imagine. Like the rest of us, I'm guessing he thought things were finally great between the two of you after what happened. You're great together."

"But are we really?"

"Well, you DID cheat on him. But that's in the past."

"What do I do?"

"Well, you said you just called Nathan today, right?"

"Yes."

"How do you know that he's not trying to call you right now?"

"I didn't think of that."

"So I'll talk to you later?"

"Definitely."

* * *

Within a half-hour, the phone rang. It was Nathan. Haley smiled as she answered, "Hello." 

"Haley?"

"Yes."

"This is Nathan."

"How are you?"

"I'm good, and you?"

"Better now."

"I see. So, you called earlier," Nathan said anxiously.

"Yeah. I've been thinking about our talk the other night."

"You have."

Haley could hear him suck in his breath, "Yes, I have. And I was wondering if we could get together again."

Nathan hesitated, "Sure. How's now?"

"Now's fine. Would you like to come over, or meet somewhere?"

"I can come to your place. Wait, isn't Lucas home?"

"No. Not tonight," Haley proceeded to give him directions to her house.

"I'll be over in a little while."

"Okay, see you soon," Haley smiled and looked up as Mouth peeked around the corner.

"Need me to leave?"

"You don't have to. You live here too," she patted the sofa next to her, "Sit a minute."

"Okay," Mouth joined her on the couch.

"You never knew Nathan, did you?"

"No. I really didn't hang with many people from other schools. But I've seen plenty of pictures, and have heard all about him. I FEEL like I know him."

"Oh shut up," she playfully hit him. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

"Yeah, I do." Mouth knew this was hard for her. After everything that had happened before, she had tried so hard to make things work with Lucas. But he'd always wondered if she was doing the right thing. Because, if she was meant to be with Lucas, things never would have happened the way they had.

* * *

Haley jumped when she heard a knock at the door, "Coming!" 

Nathan smiled at Haley when she opened the door. She motioned for him to come in. He entered and gazed around the room. Haley walked over to one end of the plush couch where she sat down. Nathan followed suit, sitting at the other end. "This is a nice place."

"Thank you. I've worked hard for this."

"You and Lucas must love having this big house to remodel and make your own." Nathan noticed Haley look away and the mention of Lucas, "Is everything okay?"

"Lucas moved out."

"Because of me?"

"No! Well, not totally."

"What happened?"

"I told him about our talk.

"So he left because I have feelings for you," Nathan shook his head, "I don't think I follow."

"No, because we have feelings for each other. That's why I needed to talk to you tonight." Nathan looked stunned, but she continued anyway. "Nathan, I've liked you since eight grade when you crawled under your desk in art class. You were the boy my dreams were made of."

"Then you kept showing up at the leas expected time and place. After I talked to you at the _Trick Pony_ concert, I was certain we were supposed to be together. I waited until April, trying to find a way to tell you how I felt. We even made eye contact at the baseball game. But you did nothing to acknowledge my presence. I was sure you had to know I was there for you."

"I…" Nathan began.

"Please, just let me get this out."

Nathan nodded his head and Haley continued, "After that, I decided I had to move on. Lucas moved home that July, and shortly after school started in August, we hooked up. He helped me through the stress of student teaching. He helped me find this house after I graduated." She paused, "Heck, he was even great when Mouth moved in."

"My friends were excited, I truly had moved on, but they forgot about what I'd said when I 'gave you up.' That if you ever came to me, I'd jump at the chance to be with you. But I never thought I'd be otherwise involved at the time. Or hell, that is would ever actually happen." A tear trickled down her cheek.

"Haley, I am so sorry," Nathan reaches out and wipes away the tear. "I never should have been so selfish. But when I saw you at the reunion with Lucas, I was jealous. And you were all I could think about afterwards."

"Tim and Jake even tried to talk some sense into me. They had never been able to understand why I didn't tell you years ago. They kept reminding me that you were with Lucas now, and he's a friend, someone who doesn't deserve to have his girl stolen away. But I had to tell you."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Was it your friends?"

"No. Tim and Jake, heck even Trent, said I should go for it. First, after Kristi and I broke up, then again during baseball season." Nathan paused, "Do you remember the night I loaned you my jacket?"

"Of course I do. I was on cloud nine that night. It smelled like you. I hated having to give it back." Haley smiled at the memory.

"Why do you think I was so intent on doing the computer thing that night," Nathan smirked, "to spend time with you. Our dugout conversations could be so much fun."

"That they were," Haley had always cherished the memories of those two summers.

"I was going to tell you after that night, but couldn't. And after that, it continued to get harder. Whenever we talked, you had your life planned. And I had no clue. I didn't see how you had room for someone with no idea."

"After the concert, Jake said I was crazy. That if you knew, and were interested, you'd find a place for me in that plan. But I couldn't, wouldn't believe him."

"Oh Nathan, I would have changed my 'plan' completely if it would have meant having you in my life."

"Deep down, I think I've always known that."

"I don't know how anybody couldn't be interested in you. Your so sweet, kind, caring, and considerate. What girl doesn't want that?" Nathan smiled at her, and she thought before smirking and adding, "Plus, a big bonus is that you're DAMN sexy."

Nathan instantly leaned over to kiss Haley. Moments later he pulled away, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so forward."

Haley pulled him closer and whispered, "Don't be sorry," before kissing him again.

What began as a few breath taking kisses soon escalated to much more.

As a near-naked Haley slipped her hands into his pants, Nathan pulled away, suddenly aware of what was happening. "We should stop."

Haley was surprised, "Yeah," she mumbled, then said, "Please don't think I do this to every guy on the first date."

"Don't worry, I don't think that of you." Nathan kissed her lightly before gathering his clothes, "I'll talk to you soon."

"You'd better," she whispered as he retreated from her home.

* * *

**Okay, so just a little tidbit. Nathan and Lucas were on the same baseball team, Lucas was a year older. Haley was the statistician for the team during her junior and senior years. She'd actually started because she was into Lucas, but her attention quickly shifted to Nathan. It was their senior year when the incident with the jacket and computer took place. **

**Hope you're liking it! Please review. **


	5. Chapter 5

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 5

* * *

Nathan drove by Tim's on the way home. Even though it was 12:30 at night, the light was still on in the living room, so he decided to stop. He walked up to the front door and knocked lightly.

Teresa peaked through the curtain on the window before opening the door. "Hey Nate, to what do we owe this late night visit?"

"I know it's late, sorry. But I saw the light on. Is Tony still up?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, he and Jake are in there on the computer with that dumb new game, completely oblivious to the time."

From the other room, Tim asks, "Hey hon, who are you talking to?"

Teresa winked at Nathan, "My lover. He stopped over since you were busy."

"Oh, okay," Nathan could hear him mutter something to Jake, "Wait a minute! What?" Tim came out into the living room.

"Finally, something got your attention. Oh, Nate's here," she motioned to the sofa. "I'm stealing the computer. Come get me when you're done. I'll send Jake out."

"Nate, what are you doing here man?"

"I had to talk to someone. And this is perfect since you're both here."

Jake walked into the room moments later, "Hey Nate," he paused and sat down, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. Well, at least I think so. That's what I need to talk about."

Tim and Jake looked at him curiously.

"I just came from visiting a friend."

Teresa hollered from the other room, "Bet he was with Haley!"

"Teresa, if you're going to eavesdrop, just come sit out here."

Teresa grinned as she walked into the room, "Sorry."

"It's okay. I might need a woman's opinion anyway."

"Did you really go over to Haley's?" Jake questioned. "What about Lucas?"

"Man, no wonder you weren't home when we called earlier."

"Yes, I was over at Haley's. You should see her place, it is so nice. Anyway, Haley and Lucas broke up, and he moved out."

"Because of you?"

"Basically. It ends up that Haley's liked me as ling as I have her."

"Ooh, this is good," Teresa clamped her hand over her mouth, "Sorry."

"We talked quite a while, and then I kissed her."

"Way to go Nate!"

"Then, just before things went too far, I decided I should leave. We both agreed that we would regret going too far so soon."

"So, do you think you have a chance?" Tim pondered.

"Yeah, I really do. But why do I not feel happier about it?"

Jake spoke up, "Because you're a nice guy, stealing a girl from a friend, who also happens to be a nice guy."

"I know, I know. But it just seemed like the right thing to do. I couldn't live any longer without her knowing. But I never intended to cause her and Lucas to break up."

"I still can't believe you finally did it. What a time to finally grow some." Tim commented.

"Me either. I still feel like it's a dream."

"But it's all VERY real Nathan. and weather you like it or not, it's probably going to end up with Haley choosing between you and Lucas," Teresa paused, "And she might NOT pick you."

"I realize that, but I'll worry more about it when it happens." Nathan stands up, "Thanks guys, I should probably get going. I need to plan my next move. I never expected it to go this far."

Teresa hollered after him, "Kiss her again! And court her. Pretend you're back in high school, and take it slow."

* * *

Haley went to work the next day in a very quiet, yet happy mood. Brian noticed this, and asked, "How's everything?"

She glanced at Brooke briefly, "Good."

"How's Lucas doing?"

Haley glared at Brooke this time, who put her hands up, pleading innocence. Haley sighed, "I guess you'd find out sooner or later, so I might as well tell you now. Lucas moved out."

Brooke's jaw dropped and Brian stopped what he was doing, "What!" they replied in unison.

"Mouth told me, but I couldn't believe it," Brooke whispered.

"He moved out on Sunday."

Brooke stood slient, but Brian pushed with more questions, "Why? What happened? I thought things had gotten better since the whole Mouth thing. You both seemed so happy. I was sure you would end up married."

"We still could. Right now it's only a temporary break. We weren't having any more problems. Something just came up, and he's giving me the time and space I need to make a decision."

Brooke spoke up, "Were you cheating on him again?" Brian's eyes lit up.

"No. I wasn't cheating on him. But this is about another guy."

"Who? I know it's not Mouth this time."

"No, it's not. It's Nathan."

Brian scrunched up his eyebrows, "The baseball guy you stalked?"

"That's the one. He came in on Saturday and we went over to The Rib Shack, where he proceeded to tell me how much he cares about me," Haley paused, "It was the chance I've always wanted. Lucas told me he couldn't hold me back. Nathan came over last night. We talked more, I told him how I feel, and we kissed."

"Wow Haley, your life's beginning to sound like Brooke's. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet. There are still a lot of feelings to sort out. As awful as I know this sounds, I'm weighing my options. I've been with Lucas for a year. And we've been living together for four months. We've bonded in an amazing way."

"Yet, you did cheat on him."

"Exactly. And I know I can't take that long with Nathan. it wouldn't be fair to Lucas, or anyone else."

"It sounds like you've been thinking about this a lot."

"Only every moment of the day and night."

"So Nathan's okay with this?"

"He knows that there's the possibility of me going back to Lucas. It's a risk he seems ready to take."

"Does he know about Mouth?"

"As a roommate?"

"Either way?"

"No, not yet."


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, as most of you have figured out, all of these characters, while bearing the same name as our OTH favs, have totally different personalities. But I love that you're sticking with it anyway! Thank you for all of the great reviews! I am working on getting the whole thing posted before the season premiere!**

* * *

A Way of Working Out 

Chapter 6

* * *

It had been just over a week since Lucas had moved back home when he got a call from Skills. "Hey man, you are not an easy person to reach. Your parents said you were living with Haley a couple of weeks ago. Then, when I finally get around to calling, she tells me you moved home. What gives?"

"We just decided that we needed a break. That's all."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Nah, everything's fine."

"Ok. Well, I'll call again soon, we should go out and catch up."

"Definitely."

After Skills hung up, he knew things were worse than Lucas let on, so he began to make some phone calls - Edwards, Fergie, Barry, and others. They decided to go out in a group and figure out what was going on. They too had no idea why Lucas had suddenly moved home. The last phone call made answered a lot of questions.

"Hey Teresa, is Tim around?"

"Hold on."

"Hello?"

"Hey Tim, Skills here."

"Hey man, how's it been?"

"Not too bad. Yourself?"

"Pretty well. Married life has been good to me. So, to what do I owe this call?"

"A bunch of us are getting together to help a friend. A gal's got him in the dumps."

"Who is it?" Tim questioned, not even thinking.

"Lucas. After a year, he and Haley have decided to spend some time apart."

Tim groaned, "Ehh…Yeah. I heard about that. But, as much as I like Lucas, I wouldn't be the best person to go along for this cheer-up session."

"What, did you break them up? I thought you and Teresa were good."

"Oh, we are. I didn't split them up, but one of my best friends kinda did."

"Who?"

"Nathan Scott."

"You're kidding."

"I don't think he truly intended to split them up. At the reunion, it was obvious he was jealous of Lucas. Probably because he'd never actually had to see her with someone else. Afterwards, she was all he could think about. For years, Jake and I had encouraged him to talk to her. But when he started talking about actually doing it this time, we discouraged it as much as possible, she was with someone else. He had no right. He thought it was perfect, because she couldn't reject him if she didn't like him. It would be due to her relationship, he expected no reciprocation. Nathan never thought that Haley would have feelings for him that were just as deep and long term as his. She talked to Lucas, and he moved out to give her time and space to make a decision. And that's where we're at now."

"I thought things were fine after she cheated on him."

"Wait, what did you say?" It was Tim's turn to be shocked.

"She cheated on Lucas. It was with Mouth, her roommate, who happens to be one of her best friends. They were sleeping together for three months. It was before Lucas moved in."

"Hmm…interesting."

"Yeah, well, I never would have guessed any of this was possible. Especially not these three in a triangle."

"Yeah, guess we'll just have to wait to see how it ends. No matter what, someone gets hurt."

"That's the truth. Thanks for the info. Give Teresa my best."

"Will do. Keep me informed."

"Sounds great."

* * *

"You know, I haven't met this Nathan guy yet. What if I don't like him? I really liked Lucas."

Haley shook her head at Peyton, "I can't even think of the possibility of you NOT liking him. But I want you to meet him, soon."

"How's this weekend?"

"It should be good. I'll make plans with him, but I won't mention that you're coming. Otherwise he'll stress out, and you won't meet the real him."

"So things are going well?"

"Yeah, they really are."

"Have you made any decisions?"

"Only that it's going to be a hard decision to make. No matter what I decide, someone that I love is going to get hurt. And I don't want to hurt anyone. Nathan and I are getting together tonight, but I haven't talked to Lucas since he moved out. I just don't know what to say."

"You'll know what to say when the time is right."

* * *

That night, Haley made dinner for Nathan. Over conversation, Nathan asked, "Do you want kids?"

Haley coughed, almost choking, startled by the question, "Of course, why?" She became a little worried, what if he doesn't want kids.

"I was just wondering. I figured you did."

"Is that a problem?"

Nathan saw the concern in her eyes, "Oh, no! God no. I love kids, I'd love to have a house full of kids."

"A house full huh, how many do you think would fill a house?"

"At least four, if not more. How many do you want?"

"My dream has always been six. But I could settle for four."

"No need to settle," Nathan paused and then went out on a limb, "How many did Lucas want?"

"Whatever I did. He was like that quite a bit. Not a big decision maker."

After dinner, Haley and Nathan sat out on the back porch, enjoying the cool fall weather. She looked at him, "Nathan, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Nathan feared that she'd made her decision, and it wasn't him.

"I don't live here alone."

"Really? I never would've guessed someone else lived here."

"Yeah, he's been staying at his girlfriend's when you're coming over, knowing we could use some space."

"Your roommate's a guy?"

"Yeah, Mouth is one of my best friends. Most of the time his girlfriend Brooke stays here too though," Haley paused, "You met her, she was working that day you stopped in."

"Okay, sure, the brunette," knowing that this roommate had a girlfriend eased his mind a little.

"There's something else you should know about me and Mouth," she paused again, hoping she was doing the right thing, telling him, "We were sleeping together for three months, while I was still dating Lucas."

"Does Lucas know?" Nathan couldn't believe she was telling him this.

"Yes, he moved in after that happened. It was a mistake, and Mouth and I both knew it. That was about six months ago. It's over, and will never happen again, but I wanted you to know."

"Why?"

"Because I have a feeling you would have found out anyway, so I wanted to get it out in the open."

"Did you think it would make me love you less?" Nathan asked.

"Maybe. There are a lot of guys out there, that no matter how much they love a girl, if they know she's cheated once, they assume she'd do it again. But I've regretted it ever since."

"That's why Lucas moved out though, isn't it. Why he's giving you this chance to decide. Because he fears you'd cheat again otherwise."

"Yes," Haley hung her head, "I think so."

"Thank you for telling me. But tell Mouth to stick around next time I'm here, I'd love to meet him."

"I can do that."


	7. Chapter 7

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 7

* * *

Lucas was sitting in the living room watching _Sportscenter_ when he heard a knock at the door. "Hello?"

Skills poked his head in the door, "Be ready in five minutes. We're going out."

"Where to?"

"Dinner, then 4th Street."

Lucas was thankful for an excuse to get out of the house. Hopefully Skills wouldn't pester him about Haley. He needed to free himself, be prepared for her to never come back to him. He finished changing, clicked off the TV and walked outside. He found Skills leaning against the car, with two people sitting in the back. This could be interesting.

* * *

When Haley saw Nathan pull up, she smiled at Peyton, and waited for him to come to the door, he was such a gentleman. He rang the bell, and she grabbed her purse before greeting him, "Hi handsome," and she kissed his cheek lightly. She motioned to the girl behind her, "I hope you don't mind, I invited Peyton." 

"Nice to meet you Peyton," he smiled at Haley, "You both look beautiful."

Peyton whispered to Haley, "He's hot, and nice."

"I told you," she hissed back.

Nathan looked at Peyton again, "You know, this will be great. Now Jake won't be complaining quite so much that we drug him along."

Peyton looked at Haley, and mouthed, "Jake?"

"Yeah, one of his best friends. Nice guy. I've known him forever."

Once in the car, introductions were made, and Jake squeezed into the front seat while Peyton sat in back with Nathan and Haley. Tim looked in the rearview mirror, Sweet Fanny's fine with everyone for dinner?"

"Sounds great," was unanimously uttered.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Rib Shack, Skills along with the others was trying to wriggle out of Lucas the real reason for his break-up with Haley. Skills had yet to divulge what he'd learned from his conversation with Tim. 

After an hour of eating and drinking, Edwards was getting fed up, "So did you move out voluntarily, or get kicked out?"

Lucas shot him a glare, "I moved out."

"But you seemed so happy," Fergie commented.

"We were, but we both were beginning to wonder if it was meant to last."

"Just like that?" Barry questioned.

"No, not really. I've thought about it, and I probably never should have moved in. That decision was made for all of the wrong reasons."

"Was she cheating on you again?"

Lucas looked at Barry, then the others, "No. As far as I know, it's just been that one guy."

Skills spoke now, "But it was another guy, wasn't it."

Lucas almost looked like he was going to cry, "Yes."

Fergie's jaw dropped, "Who is it? I can't believe this. She definitely isn't the girl we thought she was when she sat innocently with us in the dugout all those years ago. Do we know him? How did it happen?"

"She wasn't going to do anything about it. But I didn't want it to become an issue of resentment, or have her be tempted to cheat again. I couldn't stand in the way of her having a chance with someone she's always wanted…"

"But I thought it was you she'd always wanted," Fergie said, "Didn't she say that was the real reason she ever did the baseball thing?"

"Yeah, she did do the baseball thing originally because of me. But later it became about him too. She did do it a second season. Anyway, he approached her, knowing we were together." Lucas shook his head in disbelief, "He thought it protected him from rejection or something. She hated the idea of hurting me again. So, I suggested the break, and didn't give her the option to argue. She has to decide who she wants."

"So are you saying it's one of the guys from the team?" Barry questioned.

"Nathan Scott."

All eyes turned to Lucas again, "You're not serious."

He just shook his head.

Skills spoke up now, "Yet I don't think he ever expected it to turn out this way. He just had to tell her how I felt. Not that I'm defending him."

Lucas looked at him puzzled.

"I talked to Tim the other day," Skills responded.

Edwards asked, "So you're going to let her go, just like that?"

"She knows I'm here for her. That I love her."

"But does she? There's someone new paying attention to her. She could forget about what you mean to her."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah! You need to fight for her."

"How do I do that?"

"Call her."

"Stop by the house."

"Remind her how you feel."

Lucas liked the sound of this, "Maybe I will."

* * *

After they finished eating, Nathan looked at Haley, then Peyton who seemed to be hitting it off with Jake, and turned his attention to Tim who asked, "So, would you ladies like to do some dancing?" 

Teresa looked at Haley and Peyton and they responded in unison, "Definitely."

The guys paid the bill and the group of four walked out onto the sidewalk. "So where to?"

"Tailgaters seems to be hoppin'."

"Sounds good."

* * *

Skills picked up Lucas's bill as they finished up at the Rib Shack. He turned to the guys, "4th Street?" 

Lucas wasn't so sure now, he needed to figure out how he was going to try to win Haley back. But after some persuasion, he changed his mind, "Sure, why not." Silently he thought, 'My plans can wait. Maybe this will be a good distraction.'


	8. Chapter 8

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 8

* * *

Once they were all inside, Nathan, Tim and Jake headed to the bar while Haley stood with Peyton and Teresa, searching for somewhere to sit. Amazingly, they quickly found one and sat to watch people dancing.

Teresa turned to Haley, "So Haley, are you happy with Nathan?"

Haley paused and looked at Peyton, the question was unexpected, "Yes, he makes me very happy."

"What about Lucas? Does he make you happy too?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have asked him to move in otherwise."

"Nathan told us about Mouth. I'm just curious, if you were happy, what made you do it?"

"I don't know. He was vulnerable, and I happened to be there to comfort him. We knew it was wrong, but yet it felt so right."

"How can you know it won't happen again."

Peyton watched the interaction. She felt like she should say something to defend her friend, but was unsure of what.

"I saw how much it hurt Lucas, and I just couldn't do that to anyone ever again."

"Sorry to be pushy, I'm just watching out for him."

"I know."

"So if they both make you happy, how are you going to choose?"

"I don't know Teresa. I really don't. It's something I think about everyday. I haven't been with Nathan long enough."

"You were with Lucas for like a year. Are you going to make him wait that long to know your decision?"

"God no, that's not fair to anyone."

"I was just curious. Oh, here come our drinks now."

Nathan kissed Haley on the cheek before sitting next to her and sliding over the drink that he'd picked for her. "Thought you might like a mudslide to start."

"Thanks."

Nathan looked out at the floor, "Would you like to dance?" He held out his hand.

"Certainly," she smiled at Peyton and Teresa and followed him onto the floor.

* * *

As a slow song began, Haley looked up into Nathan's eyes before leaning up against him. She felt so safe as he wrapped his hands gently around her waist. She felt something different when Nathan held than when Lucas would hold her. She couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but it was definitely different.

Nathan looked down at Haley's head resting softly on his shoulder. "I like this," he whispered in her ear.

She looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye, "Oh yeah?" She placed a kiss lightly at the base of his neck, "What about this," she continued to kiss his neck lightly.

"Mmmmm," Nathan murmured, "That feels great," and he began nibbling her ear. One of his hands brushed her ass and pulled her even closer.

The song ended and Haley lingered in his arms, not wanting him to ever let her go. But the next song gave her an idea. Maybe she could get him to consider leaving. She felt the beat take over her body and began to dance.

Nathan watched her in amazement. Whether she knew it or not, she was doing bad things to his body. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to just stand by. Just touching her during the last song had made his groin grow tighter. He gasped as she began rubbing herself up against him. As she turned her back towards him, he grasped her hips, and guided the movement of her ass against him.

* * *

Teresa whispered to Peyton, "Look at those two go. You'd guess that there wasn't anyone else in the place."

Jake overheard her, "Oh come on now. Give them a break. You and Tim over here have been culprits of the same dance floor game."

Tim nodded, "It's true babe."

She lifted her eyebrows, "So what's your point?"

Tim laughed, then elbowed Jake and pointed at Peyton who was watching her friend out on the floor, "Are you gonna ask her?" He hissed.

Jake stood up and approached Peyton, "How about a dance?"

She grinned shyly, "Sure."

Teresa held Tim in his seat, "Lets sit this one out." Once the pair was out of ear shout, Teresa commented, "I think Haley loves him."

"Oh shit," Tim mumbled.

"I thought it was a good thing."

"Oh, it is," Tim said looking back at her. "But I think tonight's about to get a little bit more interesting. Lucas just walked in, and he's followed closely by Skills, Fergie, Edwards, and Barry."

"They're gonna convince him to do something, aren't they."

"Only if they spot them. But we shouldn't tell Nathan and Haley either. They could unknowingly create their own problems."

"We've got out work cut out for us, if we plan on creating distractions."

"I've got a plan," Teresa led him out onto the dance floor, in search of Jake and Peyton. Tapping Jake on the shoulder she whispered, "We've got trouble. Lucas is here. We have to keep them from seeing either Haley OR Nathan."

"We're on it."

* * *

Tim was the first one to encounter Lucas and his posse. It was apparent that Lucas wasn't wasting anytime drowning his sorrows. "Lucas, hi, how's it going there man?"

"Life sucks, but things are going to get better. I'm gonna fight for what I've lost."

Tim looked at Skills, "What did you lose?"

"My girl," he eyed Tim, "actually a friend of yours took her from me."

"Did you ever think that she wanted a change?" Tim knew he was treading on thin ice.

"Why would she? Things were great until he came along."

"That's not the story I heard," Tim instantly regretted his words.

"Are you here with them tonight?"

"Nope, just here with Teresa, Jake and his date."

* * *

Meanwhile, across the dance floor, Nathan pulled Haley close again, "What do you say we get out of here."

"I like the sound of that. But I need to tell Peyton. I can't just abandon her here," she winked, "even though she seems to be having a great time with Jake."

"Okay, I'll call go tell Tim we're heading out and call us a cab. Meet me out front in ten?"

"Make it five," and Haley went in search of her friend.

* * *

Nathan approached Tim, unaware of who he was talking to, "Hey Tim, I've been looking for you everywhere."

Tim grimaced, "Well, here I am."

"Haley and I are going to head out. Can you take Peyton home?"

"Haley's here huh?" Lucas glared first at Tim, then Nathan, "I'd like to talk to her."

Tim gave Skills a pleading look, 'Please stop him.'

Skills seemed to understand, "Hey Lucas, why don't you call her tomorrow, when you're sober."

"I want to talk to her now, and here she comes."

The all turned to see Haley approaching, followed closely by Teresa, Peyton, and Jake. Teresa's eyes grew big, sensing trouble.

Haley saw Lucas, "Hey, wow, um, how's it going?" Her eyes shifted quickly back and forth between the people surrounding them. She also noticed when Fergie, Edwards, and Barry joined the group, carrying more drinks.

"Not so hot," he pulled her towards the dance floor, his hand tightly gripping her arm, "Let's talk."

"I'd rather sit down if we're gonna talk."

"No, I don't want him to take you away from me again."

"I'll tell Nathan to leave us alone until we're done talking," Haley said with a steady voice, trying to avoid the scene she was sure was about to ensue.

"It's all about what you want. I'm beginning to realize that more and more everyday."

"How can it be any different? You never had an opinion about anything!" Haley forgot about not wanting to cause a scene, she was just plain pissed now.

"We lived in your house."

"I own the place! Besides, did you expect me to move in with your parents!"

"You wanted HIM!"

"You told me to do it!"

"You wanted separate vacations!"

"Only because you refused to join me in Virginia! And I'd already said I'd go. And I enjoyed myself!"

"Were you cheating on me then too!"

"Give it a rest! It was that one time. I told you that! Besides, Matt's just a friend, you know that! Besides, he happens to be engaged!" She shook her head at Nathan who was looking at her questioningly, silently saying, 'I'll explain later.'

"Mouth was a friend too."

"But that was a totally different situation, and you know it. I can't apologize for that anymore. If you can't trust me…"

"What about now?"

"This isn't cheating! I was upfront with you about the whole thing. I told you what he said to me, and that at one time I would've given anything to hear that."

"Exactly!"

"But I wasn't going to pursue it! You said I should, that we should separate. You brought that much on yourself."

"But you didn't have to agree!"

"How could I not. You practically forced the decision on me. I almost had to wonder if YOU had someone in the wings waiting, and it was the perfect out for YOU!"

"Never. I love you."

"I love you too…"

"But is it the same love you had for me before you slept with Mouth?"

"Listen, I'm not going into that, AGAIN. I still need time, which you gave me, so I'm going to use it."

Lucas slowly let go, "How much longer do I have to wait?"

Haley gently rubbed her arm where he'd been holding her, "I don't know. But what I do know is that you made some things much clearer for me tonight. Goodnight."

She turned to Nathan, "I believe we were on our way out."

Nathan stepped towards her and suddenly fell backwards. Lucas' punch in the jaw took him by surprise. Haley screamed and glared at Lucas. With the help of Tim and Jake, Nathan managed to stand back up and they found their way out of the bar.

"Guess we don't need that cab after all," Nathan mumbled.

* * *

As they slid into the backseat, Haley looked at him, "I am so sorry Nathan. This was my fault. I shouldn't have gotten into a shouting match with him."

Peyton watched out of the corner of her eye as Nathan placed his hands over Haley's, "Don't blame yourself. It should be me doing the apologizing. It's my fault the two of you aren't sill together. If I hadn't acted upon jealously and opened my big mouth, you two would still be happy, and together."

"If you hadn't opened your big mouth," Haley smiled slightly, "I never would have known what it was like to love anyone else, and truly decide for myself if he's the one for me. You've given me that freedom. And I had a great time tonight. No matter what my decision, I'll always be grateful for that." She leaned over and kissed him gently.

Nathan sat quietly, reminding himself to ask about her trip to Virginia.

* * *

Back at the bar, Lucas had been shoved into a booth by Skills and Fergie. "What WERE you thinking?"

"Fighting for what's mine."

"Punching out the new boyfriend is NOT what we meant."

"I hadn't planned on doing that. It just happened."

"Did it also just happen that you got into a shouting match with the girl you're trying to win back?"

"No. It just kinda happened."

"Seems like a lot of stuff 'just kinda happened' tonight."

Barry spoke up, "You need to call her first thing tomorrow morning and apologize. This incident isn't going to help your situation any."

"Barry's right man," Fergie commented, "We should get you home, before you do anything else to get yourself into even more trouble."

* * *

Tim pulled away from the curb after dropping Haley and Peyton off. Teresa turned around immediately after shoving Jake into the back and said, "She loves you."

Nathan looked at her with suspicion, "How do you know that?"

"I can tell. The way she looks at you. She told me that you make her very happy…"

"Woohoo Nate!"

"Get your head out of the gutter. We haven't slept together yet," then he mumbled, "although that's where we were heading before our encounter with Lucas."

Tim nodded knowingly, "I knew it."

"Timothy!" Teresa scolded.

"We were going to try to wait, but out there on that dance floor…"

"Say no more. We could all see you."

Jake smirked, "Hey, maybe that will be the deciding factor, which one of you is better in bed."

"Both of you stop it!" Teresa scolded again. Then she turned to Jake, "Besides you don't have much room to be talking mister. I saw you out there with Peyton. You better be careful." She glared at the boys, "Now, as I was saying, she hates the idea of hurting you. And I mean she wouldn't be facing this huge decision if she'd stayed with Lucas. There's a reason she's with you now."

* * *

Peyton sat with Haley at the kitchen table, "Want to talk about what happened tonight?"

"Where do I even start?"

"Start with the good stuff," she grinned at her best friend, "You appeared to be having a pretty good time until your encounter with Lucas."

"I was. He's absolutely wonderful Pey. I felt so safe in his arms. The feeling I had when he was holding me differed so much from when I'm with Lucas."

Peyton snickered, "Maybe because Lucas would never grope you in public."

"I know he wouldn't. But I wasn't ashamed."

"Nor should you be. It's not like you're the only ones who do it."

It was Haley's turn to smirk, "I noticed."

"Noticed what?" Peyton asked innocently.

"You were getting pretty friendly with Jake out there."

"He's really sweet. And you did NOT tell me how fine he was."

"He picked on me when we were in middle school, and I guess I just never saw him that way. Even years later," seeing Peyton eye her, "Don't worry, he grew out of picking on me. He's grown to be a really great man. Do you think you're going to go out again?"

"Guess we'll see. He has to make the first move."

"Come on Pey, it's the 21st century, girls can make the first move."

"He seemed like the first move kinda guy, so I wait."

"Fine."

"Now, enough with changing the subject. What are you going to do about Lucas?"

"I thought he'd gotten over the whole Mouth situation. But it appears as if he still doesn't trust me. I don't know what more I can do to apologize. Is he always going to wonder? I can't live the rest of myself trying to prove everyday that I made a mistake, and I'm sorry."

"You've made your decision, haven't you."

"I think maybe I have."

* * *

**Okay, so I majorly added to this chapter. Upon request, I added some Naley stuff outon the dance floor. I also added Haley's conversation with Peyton at the end. i hope it plays out as well as I'm hoping with everything else that I already have written (yes, the story is done, just needs to be typed.**

**I hope to get out another update tomorrow night. So, look forward to that, and in the meantime, please review! **


	9. Chapter 9

**I own nothing Dawson's Creek either…**

* * *

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 9

* * *

Haley was sitting in the living room after Peyton left the next morning watching Dawson's Creek when she heard a knock at the front door. Putting down her bowl of cereal, she walked to the door, not sure who to expect.

Looking through the peep hole, she saw it was Lucas. She debated whether or not she wanted to open it or not.

Lucas knocked again, "Come on Haley, I know you're awake. You never miss Dawson's Creek on a Saturday morning."

"Damn!" Haley whispered as she opened the door, just enough that she didn't have to take the chain off. "What do you want?"

"Can we talk?"

"What is there to say? We laid it all out on the line last night."

"That's what I would like to talk about."

"Fine. Go back to the deck, I'll be out in a minute." She grabbed her favorite hoodie and went out back to meet him. She sat as far away from him as she could and still be seated at the table.

"I have to apologize for last night," Lucas began.

"What happened last night? That wasn't you?" Haley paused, "although, at least you had an opinion about something last night," she mumbled.

"I dunno. Something just hit me I guess. Skills arranged to take me out, lift my spirits. Then they all started talking about how I should fight for you, rather than just sitting back where you could forget about me."

"I'll never forget about you."

"I know that. By the time we ran into you, I was drunk, and what they had said seemed to make sense. But as Skills pointed out later, I took it all a little to far."

"Yeah, just a little," Haley cracked a small smile.

"So, I have to ask. Did last night's performance tip the balance?"

"It made me step away from you, yes. But you coming here today has remedied that, some. But I still need some time," she sighed, last night she thought she was ready to make a decision, but she wasn't so sure now. "I was with you for a year Lucas, and it's only been a month with Nathan. I need to make sure that the decision I make is the right one for me. I know that no matter what, someone will get hurt, and that I'll always have feelings for both of you."

Lucas reaches for his pocket and pulls out a small box, "What would you say if I asked you to marry me right now?"

"You're kidding, right?" Haley could not believe this was happening.

"Obviously you wouldn't say yes," he opened the box to show her the ring. "I want you to take this anyway."

"Lucas…"

"Next time you see me, I'll know your decision by whether or not you're wearing it." Lucas stood up, "See you later."

* * *

Nathan pulls into the driveway a Lucas backs out. Haley greets him with a smile and gentle kiss, "How are you this morning?"

"Better now that I'm with you."

"You're so sweet," Haley kisses him again, "Let's go inside and see if I can make that shiner feel any better."

"I like the sound of that," Nathan followed her into the house, and chuckled as Haley reached for the remote, "You still watch Dawson's Creek?"

"Shut up. I love that show. Besides, Pacey and Joey are so great together. I wish I had a love like theirs."

"Didn't they hurt their best friend?"

"Yeah, but he's an ass."

Nathan chuckled again, "I won't challenge you there."

Haley sat next to him on the couch and began to plant light kisses over his bruise and down his neck, "Since we were so rudely interrupted last night," she whispered.

"Mmmmm," Nathan moaned, and then he pulled away. Looking at a confused Haley he said, "As much as I'd love to right now, I think we should talk."

Haley sighed in frustration, "Okay, let's talk."

"So what did Lucas want?"

"He stopped by to apologize, and ask if I'd made my decision based on his performance last night."

"And what did you tell him?" Nathan was curious.

"That I still need some time; but that last night definitely had an impact on my thoughts and opinions of him."

"This is really hard for you, isn't it?"

"It is. I never imagined that I'd have to make a decision like this. I spent my whole liefe hoping for one guy. Choosing between two sucks."

"Can I ask how we're balancing out?"

"I'll give you a hint," and she went back to kissing him.

"I like where this is going."


	10. Chapter 10

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 10

* * *

That night, Haley sat across the table from Nathan, and had been enjoying driving him crazy running her foot up his leg during the entire meal. Suddenly though, she noticed the expression on his face change. The apparent state of arousal was replaced with a tone of seriousness. Nathan pulled a box out of his pocket, one that reminded Haley a lot of the box she'd hidden in a drawer earlier that day.

"Haley, I've been carrying this box since the day after you told me that Lucas had moved out. Being with you makes me feel alive. I've never felt this way with anyone else. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and pray that you feel the same," he paused, "Will you marry me?"

"Oh Nathan!" Haley started to cry, "I can't. Not right now. I need to make sure that it would be the right decision." She heard the words coming out of her mouth, but somewhere in the back of her head was a voice screaming, 'Say yes stupid!'

The look on Nathan's face said everything, he was devastated, "Well, okay then," his voice was a little shaky, "I wasn't expecting that."

'So much for getting some tonight,' Haley thought to herself before saying, "I'm so sorry. My love for you is like nothing I've ever experienced before. But right now, part of my heart still belongs to Lucas."

"There will always be a part that belongs to him, won't there?"

"Yes, probably."

Nathan didn't know what to say or think, so standing up, he said, "Call me when you've sorted things out." He tossed the ring, still in its box, on the table, "Hold on to that. It can serve as a reminder that you have a decision to make." With that he walked away leaving Haley at the table by herself, crying softly.

* * *

Haley was sitting at the kitchen table glancing back and forth between the red box and the green box when Mouth returned home with Brooke. He looked at the clock, it was one o'clock in the morning. 'What's she doing up?' He wondered. "Haley?"

She looked up from the lists that were sitting in front of the boxes, "Hey," she breathed.

"You're up late. What's going on?"

"Oh Mouth, I don't know what to do," Haley stood up to hug him, then she looked at Brooke, "You guys have to help me. I don't know what to do."

Brooke sat down on her right side, "Those look suspiciously like ring boxes."

"Yeah, check them out," Haley clicked open each box and Brooke gasped, "Yeah, I know. I couldn't look at them anymore."

Mouth sat down on her other side, "They're both gorgeous, and that's for sure. But I thought after last night you had made your decision."

"I had. But Lucas showed up this morning to apologize and gave me one. Then tonight at dinner, Nathan told me he can't imagine his life without me and gave me the other one."

"And Nathan didn't know that Lucas had done the same thing earlier."

"No idea. At least I didn't tell him."

"Then he didn't know," Mouth said.

Brooke picked up the two boxes, "Bet I can guess which ring came from which guy."

Haley smiled, "You think?" It was nice to have a slight distraction.

"Of course. This one," she pulled out the large princess-cut ring, with small diamonds lining each side, "is from Lucas. Even though he's been dating you longer, it's obvious he has no clue what is 'you.' He bought this ring with the intention of wanting bigger and better. He thought more flash would draw you in."

Picking up the smaller round-cut ring, she sighed, "This one is obviously from Nathan. And he put thought into it. He noticed that the jewelry you wear is simple. But he wanted to know that he was serious. And with the tear-drop shaped diamond on either side, he wanted you to know that he thinks you're beautiful and should have a ring that reflects that beauty."

Smugly, she placed each ring back on the table and looked at Haley, "So am I right?"

Haley turned to Mouth, "Care to make a guess?"

"I'm not going to make a guess as to who gave you which ring. But I am going to say that I think Brooke has a point in what she said when describing her pick. Nathan is serious, but I think Lucas did it because he's afraid."

"Thanks you two."

"So have you made a decision?" Brooke asked impatiently.

"I think so. I just want to sleep on it."

"Well then, goodnight, and let us know when you decide," Mouth hugged her and headed towards his bedroom.

* * *

Haley lay in bed that night, finding it impossible the sleep. She thought about everything that Brooke and Mouth had said, and about her phone call with Peyton prior to that.

_As soon as Peyton answered the phone, Haley cried, "Oh Peyton, thank God you're home! I need your help!"_

"_What's wrong?"_

"_How can I decide? They both want to know, and we all deserve to go on with our lives. But I just don't know."_

"_What changed from this morning? I thought you'd made your decision."_

"_Yeah, until Lucas came over to apologize."_

"_I can't believe he was so convincing to change your mind, but just tell them you still need more time."_

"_Oh, both of them have given me more time."_

"_That's great. So what's the problem exactly?"_

"_Oh, time is not great when it's in the form of two engagement rings sitting on the table in front of me."_

"_Wait a minute, TWO diamond rings?"_

"_Oh yeah. Lucas popped the question when he apologized, and Nathan did it at dinner tonight."_

"_You've got to be kidding me."_

"_Wish I was."_

"_Lucas proposed, finally. And Nathan, wow, already."_

"_Yeah, I'm thinking that Lucas may have done it as a last resort after last night."_

"_But Nathan?"_

"_I think it's truly sincere. He said he bought it after that night I called him back."_

"_Wow. That's amazing. But, at the same time, I think you have your answer. I'm guessing that this won't be the last time that Lucas is an absolute asshole about something. And if he thinks buying your forgiveness is what it takes…"_

"_You're right, thanks," Haley paused, "I guess I should figure out now how I'm going to break this to him."_

"_Good luck with that."_

"_Thanks."_

It had all seemed so simple when she was talking to Peyton, but as she thought about how she was going to break the news to him, things hadn't seemed so clear. But later listening to Brooke and Mouth tell her basically the same thing, she knew she'd decided correctly.


	11. Chapter 11

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 11

* * *

The next morning, Haley spent hours trying to decide how to break the news to Lucas. She also contemplated who to call first, finally deciding to talk to Nathan first. If he had for some reason decided that he couldn't handle the fact that a part of her heart would always belong to Lucas, she could just choose Lucas instead. Haley immediately scolded herself for the thought. She could never do that to Lucas, or herself. When she finally called Nathan, she got the answering machine. He and caller id, but she wanted to make sure he knew she called.

* * *

Nathan sat in his living room with Tim and Jake, talking about what had happened with Haley.

Tim looked at him in amazement, "You proposed to her? As in marriage? After just one month?"

"I know that she's the one," he paused and looked a Jake, "Besides, I've known her since 8th grade. We already have a history, well kinda."

Jake spoke up, "If you truly believe that she's the one, you're gonna have to accept the fact that she'll always have a spot in her heart for Lucas."

"I know, but it's hard."

"Answer me one question. What about Kristy?"

Nathan just glared at him.

"Well?"

"She was my first. Of course there's a spot in my heart for her."

"Exactly. Isn't it the same thing for Haley?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Just then the phone rang. Tim looked at the caller id, "555…it's Haley."

"Don't answer!" Nathan said quickly, "Let the machine get it."

"Nathan, when you get this message, please call me. I really need to talk to you."

Jake looked at Tim, then Nathan, "Dude, that doesn't sound like the voice of someone who wants to break up."

"He's right. Call her back, right now."

"I'll call her later."

"Fine, whatever you think is best," Jake rolled his eyes.

"But we're leaving now," Tim stood, "Call us after you've talked to her."

* * *

Haley wandered around the house, busying herself with small tasks, hoping Nathan would call soon. It had already been more than an hour. Maybe she sounded too desperate. She was thinking about calling Teresa to see if he was over there. Suddenly the phone rang, it was Nathan. "Hello," she tried to play it cool.

"Hello. How are you?"

"I'm better. How about you?"

"Can't complain too much."

"That's good."

Nathan couldn't stand the small talk any longer, "So what did you need to talk about?"

"My decision."

"Oh."

"Can we meet somewhere and talk? I can't do this over the phone."

"I guess."

"How about the old ball field, in 30 minutes."

"I'll be there."

* * *

When Nathan arrived at the high school's baseball field, Haley was already there. He couldn't believe the memories that came flooding back. He hadn't stepped foot out here since his high school days. He saw her sitting at the end of the bench in the dugout. With her legs bouncing slightly he could tell that she was nervous. She looked exactly the way she had during those first few games, sitting there amongst them, not sure what to expect. This time it was him who didn't know what to expect.

Then he saw it. She was fidgeting with the ring box, and she wasn't wearing the ring on her finger. His worries came flooding back. He walked into the dugout and approached her slowly.

Haley looked up, "Thanks for coming," she motioned for him to sit next to her.

"I had to know."

"Yeah," Haley shook her head and looked out at the pitcher's mound. Nathan and Lucas had both been pitchers. "I remember one game," Haley began. "It was that first season. It wasn't even here, we were actually over playing Heelan."

Nathan had no clue where she was going with this. He hadn't come to listen to her recount baseball games. But something told him to let her finish.

"You weren't pitching that day," she looked at him, "although most of my baseball memories of you happened on nights you weren't playing," Haley looked out at the field again. "It was a couple of weeks into the season. I'd been to every game, and even had a 'nickname' so to say. But it was as if no one was willing to admit to actually knowing me. I'd been yet to be addressed by name. You were keeping the pitch chart, yeah big surprise, I know. There was a change made, and you needed to know the name of the new player. You looked down the dugout at me and said, 'Hey Haley.' I don't remember what else you said, that was all that mattered to me. Someone DID know my name…not that I had doubts, I had some kind of history with Jake and both Nicks, but you were the first to say it. It made me feel special. All you did was say my name, but it brought rushing back all of those feelings that had been buried for three years."

Haley looked at Nathan again, "After that moments, I was never ever truly able to bury those feelings again."

Nathan looked at her and found himself lost on memory lane, "I don't know that I can pinpoint exactly when it was that I rediscovered the feelings, but I know what it was," he smiled at her. "It was your ability to fit in. You didn't make snide comments, especially when we talked about girls." Then a light clicked on, "That's what it was. We were bad mouthing some girl, I don't even remember who, and I called her a slut. Then I remembered you were there and apologized, not wanting to offend you. And you said, 'It's hard to be offended by a word I use myself.' I didn't know another girl who would openly admit to calling another girl a slut."

"Were you dating Kristy then too?"

"I honestly don't remember," Nathan shook his head, "As fun as this trip down memory lane is, I know that it's not why you asked me out here."

"You're right, it's not." Haley reached for his hands, placed the ring box in them, and then wrapped his fingers around the box. Her fingers lingered on his now closed hands, "I'm going to start with the hardest part."

Looking crushed, Nathan said, "I understand." What he couldn't understand was why she'd shared all those memories, only to tell him he wasn't the one for her.

"I don't think you do," she smiled briefly. "I've made a decision, and I want to be with you, and only you."

"I hope you'll be happy…"

Haley moved her hands to his face and turned him so he was looking right into her eyes, "No, you didn't hear me. I. Choose. You."

Now he was just confused, "But…"

"I can't accept your ring right now. I most definitely see my self married to you in the future, but it's just too soon."

Nathan sat and let the words sink in before wrapping his arms around her, "You have just made me the happiest man alive."

"To hear that you still want to be with me, after everything I put you through makes me happy. I was afraid."

"You haven't told him yet, have you?"

"How did you know?"

"I just did somehow. I need to ask you something else."

"Okay," Haley replied slowly.

"If I had said that I couldn't deal with everything, would you have then just told Lucas that he was your choice, not letting on that I'd turned you down?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, yes. But I couldn't have done that. If you had changed your mind, I would have still given Lucas the same answer. It wouldn't be fair to him, or me to enter back into a relationship based on a lie."

"I love you so much," he kissed her softly, "and I want you to know, that even if you had picked Lucas, I never would have stopped loving you."

Haley stepped away, "Now for the even harder part, telling Lucas. I wish I didn't have to do this." She then turned to look Nathan square in the eye, "Please don't say a word, to anyone, until I talk to him."

"Not even…"

"Not even Jake and Tim. I don't want to take the chance that he'll find out from someone besides me. I'll call you right after I talk to him. Until then, mums the word." With a small peck on the cheek, Haley was off.

* * *

Lucas was sitting in the living room watching TV when there was a knock at the door. He could see Haley's car sitting out front. Opening the door, he found her standing there nervously, her back to the door. "Haley?"

She jumped slightly and turned towards him, "Hi."

"Would you like to come in?"

"Sure," she followed Lucas in, sitting across the room from him.

"Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you," Haley fidgeted with her hands before reaching into the pocket of her oversized hoodie and pulling out the ring he'd given her. Setting it on the table she said, "I can't tale this. I'm really sorry Lucas. It's just that, well, I can't see us having a future together."

"Did you ever?"

"Yes," a tear rolled down her cheek.

"So when did that change?" Lucas tried to bite his tongue, but found it impossible, "Was it Nathan, or Mouth?"

"I think it would have happened no matter what. They were both just stepping stones. I think things were wrong before I ever slept with Mouth. I don't know, maybe deep down that's why I did it. I don't know. But you know that's the only reason you moved in, was to prevent me from straying again. You too knew it wasn't right. And no matter what you said otherwise, you never trusted me after that. You still don't, and I don't think you ever could TRULY trust me again. Not that I blame you. But then, when you told me to go to Nathan, I knew you were having your doubts too."

"I just didn't want to believe that what we had in the beginning had died. You deserve someone better than me, who will love you completely until the end of time. I will always love you, but it could never be enough." Standing up, she started for the door.

"Can I still call you, as a friend?"

"Always," and she slipped out the door, knowing that was probably the last time they would ever talk.

* * *

**As you all know, or have figures out by now, this is totally alternate reality for our favorite Tree Hill characters. However, what many of you may not know, is that this story is based on real people in my life. I'm Haley. The only things in this whole story that are true, are the feelings I had for these boys (neither of which I ever dated) and the memories in this chapter. Those baseball memories actually happened. Anyway, there are only a few more installments left, so please keep reviewing, and I'll keep updating! **


	12. Chapter 12

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 12

* * *

"So did you talk to her?" Jake questioned as he sat at the picnic table out back with Tim and Nathan.

"Yeah, we met out at the ball field, it was weird." Nathan was struggling not to spill the beans.

"Well?"

"What are you doing the rest of the day?"

"Nothing. But what does that have to do with you talking to Haley?"

"Not much," he shook his head, "Anyway, she gave the ring back."

Tim looked at him in shock, "You're not serious. And she made you meet her at the ball field, one of your happy places, to do that?"

"Oh yeah, I'm serious."

"You seem to be talking it pretty well," Jake commented.

Tim shook his head in disgust, "I can't believe she choose Lucas over you."

"I never said that."

"But you said…"

"That she gave the ring back."

Crinkling up his face, Jake asked, "What's the deal?"

"Promise not to say a word?"

"Of course."

Nathan looked at Tim, "Not even to Teresa. Haley wants to make sure that he finds out from her that she's made her decision."

"I'm guessing then that you were her choice. But why'd she give the ring back?"

"Yeah, I don't get it."

"She says it's too soon. She can see her future with me, but it was all just too fast. But it helped her a lot to know my true feelings."

"So the two of you are together?"

"Yep," Nathan smiled.

"And it's no longer a 'test drive' thing?"

"Nope."

"Congratulations!" Tim patted him on the back.

"So when are you moving?"

"Why Mr. Jagelski, what makes you think I want him to move in with me?" Haley put her arms around Nathan and gave him a small kiss. "I assume you told them."

"I had to tell someone."

"See Jake, he's already breaking promises. It might not last, and as fun as it might be, it would be too time consuming to move him in only to throw all his crap out on the lawn."

All three men looked at Haley, "You're already saying it might not last? But you..." Nathan started.

"I'm kidding," she looked at his friends and put her hands up in the air, "Honestly. I just had to give you a hard time."

"Phew. So, did you talk to him?"

"I did."

"How'd he take it?"

"I'm not sure. Okay, I think. He asked if we could still be friends, and I told him 'always.' But I don't think we'll probably ever talk again."

"You know, I feel bad for him."

"I don't think he would want your pity."

"No, I know that. It's just that he thought his life was great, and he was living with the woman he loved. But I came along, and he was willing to let all that go so that you would be happy. And deep down, hoped he'd be the one, in the end, to make you happy."

Jake and Tim turned to leave, "The two of you have a lot of talking to do. Call us later, and congratulations."

"See you guys later," Nathan turned back to Haley.

"I too am sad at how things ended between us, but it was going to happen sooner or later. It just wasn't working out, like it did in the beginning."

"Does he know that?"

"Yes, I told him. But I think he had his doubts too. I don't know when it happened, exactly, but somewhere along the way, the novelty of our relationship wore out, and I realized I wasn't truly in love with him."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, I think so. Yet is scares me. I don't want the same thing to happen to us."

Nathan pulled her onto his lap and put his arms around her, "Shhhh...it's okay. That's never going to happen to us. You have to believe that."

Amanda gives him a gentle kiss, "I love you so much. And I do believe it will last, forever. I don't know," Haley continued, "maybe I wanted things to work so badly with Lucas that I ignored the fact that I didn't really love him. You, on the other hand, I have loved forever." She kissed him softly on the lips before trailing her kisses down his neck.

"Why did it take us so long to find each other and realize that we are meant to be?" Nathan asked in a hushed voice.

"Because we were meant to make mistakes first. To discover what we really wanted from life."

"Well, I'm glad that we've discovered each other," Nathan said as he stood and guided her into the apartment.

Haley grinned, "Me too."

* * *

After spending the night at Nathan's, Haley reluctantly returned home, and found herself faced with Peyton, who had found out from Jake that she'd finally made her decision.

"So you're with Nathan now?"

"Yeah," Haley grinned brightly.

"Did you keep the ring?"

"Nope."

"Is he moving in?"

"Not right now he's not."

"But he will eventually?"

"Oh probably, but we've agreed to take it slow."

Peyton snickered at that comment, "Yeah right. Since when is spending the night at his place, on your first night as an official couple taking it slow?"

"Shut up. I just don't want to screw this one up too."

"What happened with Lucas wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, it kinda was. I cheated on him, remember. And I was the one who fell out of love."

"Okay, so it's not totally your fault. Besides, people break up all the time. It's normal."

"But he told you to go to Nathan, so I'm guessing he too knew that it wouldn't last forever, but like you, he had to hope."

* * *

Haley was next greeted by Mouth, who was sitting at the kitchen table, surprisingly alone. "No Brooke?"

"She's still sleeping."

"Ahh," she chuckled, "So when's she going to start paying rent?"

"Ha ha. Laugh all you want. Especially since I'm guessing your boy toy will be moving in soon."

"He's not moving in. One roommate, and his girlfriend, is enough for me," Haley smiled at Mouth.

"You're afraid, aren't you."

"How could you tell?"

"It's a gift I guess. You're not going to make the same mistakes," he grinned, "I won't let you. Besides, I don't think Brooke would like that very much."

"You're not funny," she paused, "Okay, maybe a little funny. But this is serious. I love him so much. I can't lose him."

"Do you remember when we talked about Lucas moving in?" Haley nodded her head, "You told me that things were a little bumpy, heck how could they not be with what had just happened, but you said you were looking to fix that. I told you that Lucas moving in wouldn't change the fact that you didn't love him. You loved being loved. Every person deserves that feeling. But, somewhere along the line, you were skipped. Lucas was your first experience, an opportunity to further deepen your definition of the perfect mate. And although you'd temporarily placed him on that back burner, you've known all along that Nathan was, and still is, everything you want in a man."

Haley wrapped mouth in a big hug, "Thank you so much. I needed someone to tell me that I'm not being selfish and made the right decision."

"I'm glad I could help."

* * *

**Okay, I don't want to turn this into multiple stories, so please bear with me. There are going to be a few major time jumps in the next few chapters. But they're worth it, or at least I think so. As always, please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 13

* * *

This chapter is the first of the time jumps that I alluded to. It takes place two years after Haley made her decision. 

The things in italics are flashbacks.

* * *

Haley sat on her knees in the attic, moving boxes. "Where is it!" she shouted, the tears in her eyes briefly forgotten. She knew it was here somewhere amongst all of her crap. She hadn't been up her since moving in, and knew that it would be where ever Lucas had left it. 

He'd been up here, trying to organize. Like everyone else, he claimed she had too much stuff. But he had also said that if she insisted on keeping everything, it should somehow be organized. She'd tried, countless times, but never succeeded, that was one of the things she loved about having her own house…having her own storage space.

She'd known that he had been coming up here and that he was going through her stuff. But somehow, in the short months they'd been dating, she'd forgotten about 'the box.' Heck, she didn't even know that he'd found it.

Haley remembered the day he told her, like it was yesterday, instead of two years in the past. She'd honestly believed that they would never talk again, and they hadn't since that day…

_As Haley pulled up to her house, she was surprised to see Lucas sitting on her front porch. Stepping out of the car, she approached him, "Lucas?"_

"_Hi Hales."_

"_What are you doing here?"_

"_You said we could still be friends, right?"_

"_Of course."_

"_There's something I thought you should know."_

"_What is it? Is everything okay?"_

"_Yeah. Things are okay. Each day is a little easier. And I think they'll become even easier after I do this."_

"_You're scaring me Luke, what's going on."_

"_Do you remember right after I moved in how I was organizing the attic."_

"_How could I not? Everyday you'd tell me about some dumb thing you found, wanting to know why I was keeping it."_

"_I quickly realized not to question, only to laugh."_

"_Yeah," Haley smiled softly._

"_The last day I was up there, I found a box…"_

"_A box, really. That's amazing."_

"_This wasn't just the usual box of your crap. This box was special."_

"_A special box huh, did it have like, I don't know, magic beans in it or something," Haley paused. It suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks which box he was talking about. She tilted her head, "Oh Lucas, I am so sorry. Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_I don't know. I just couldn't I guess. But most of the pictures were of him."_

"_There were some of you too…"_

"_I know. I felt guilty somehow, but I looked at each picture, and felt like I was looking into your heart and your deepest feelings. There was even one of Mouth in there."_

"_I know."_

"_When you told me about meeting with Nathan, I couldn't help but picture the contents of that box. I already knew who you were going to choose."_

"_You did?"_

"_Yeah, I knew from that very moment that you would never be 'my girl' again. And I just wanted you to know, that even though I acted like a jealous lout, I was happy that you were finally going to have exactly what you'd always wanted."_

"_Thank you Lucas," she placed a light kiss on his cheek._

"_Goodbye Haley."_

"_Goodbye." _

"Here it is," Haley said out loud. She tugged at the box, dislodging it from the home it had inhabited for too many years. After her conversation with Lucas, she had debated dragging it out and maybe even putting up a picture or two of Nathan around the place. But she'd decided against it. She didn't want him to know that she had these. Even though he knew she'd always loved him, he was unaware of her sometimes unhealthy infatuation.

But God, now she needed it more than ever. And even though he was gone, she felt it still remained in the attic. As a reminder of what she would never, ever have.

Gently she slid open the top and began to look at the pictures, lifting them out of the box one-by-one. The first one was of Nathan, it was after he'd been taken out of a game during college. It perfectly captured the look that fell upon his face every time he had a bad outing on the mound, one of pure anger. She could remember taking this picture, and wishing that she could just go over and hug him, to make things all better. A month later she'd 'given up' on ever loving him. Why hadn't she stuck with that notion? It had worked well for her.

Lucas was featured in the next photo. This one was much older, but once again had been taken on the baseball field. It was back in high school, the first season she'd been with the team. They'd been playing at West, and it had been a day of excruciating heat. It was actually cooler sitting in the sun along the fence than it was in the dugout. Of course, it had also meant major sunburns. The picture had been taken sometime during the sunset that evening. She'd always loved the exposure of the photo; it cast him in such a different light. Almost like a ray of hope. How could she have screwed up so badly?

Haley smiled when she saw the next picture, it was one of her and Mouth. It was one of the few pictures in this box in which she too was a subject. It had been taken at the bar on New Year's Eve. Everyone head been having a blast that night, and she'd really let loose. His date for the evening was a total flake, and he'd wanted to dance. So, she'd followed him out onto the floor. She couldn't remember the song, but she could remember laughing and having a good time. To this day, Brooke still swore it was one of her favorite pictures. And considering that she wasn't in it, that alone was a huge compliment. But even though he was the reason she'd gotten into either of these messes, she knew she couldn't be mad at him.

She continued to sort through the pictures, refusing to think about the wedding that she'd been planning, up until last night anyway. They were two short months away from that trip down the isle and it had all come to blows. It had been stupid.

_Nathan walked in the front door, "Hey babe, I'm home." Hearing the TV, he walked towards the living room. "Hales?"_

_He'd been shocked by what he found. Haley was laying on the sofa, wrapped in the arms of her roommate, Mouth, sound asleep. Not that he was surprised she was asleep. It was after 7, and it was common knowledge that if she put in a movie after dinner, she was bound to fall asleep. It was her company and their position that surprised him._

"_Haley?" Nathan asked louder. He saw her stir._

"_Nathan! You're home, I was waiting for you."_

"_Why? You obviously don't need me to keep you warm."_

_It wasn't until that moment that she'd realized what it must look like. She looked at Mouth who was awake as well, and ran after Nathan._

"_Nathan, please, it's not what you think."_

"_How long had is been going on Hales?"_

"_How long had we been sleeping? I don't know, the movie was still playing, so less than an hour."_

"_You know that's not what I'm talking about. When did you start sleeping with him again? Or did you never stop?"_

_Haley couldn't believe what she was hearing, "You bastard! You can't seriously be asking me that. After two years?"_

"_They say old habits die hard."_

"_Nathan Daniel Scott," she surprised even herself by slapping him, "You have some nerve. You know that I love you, and that I would never do anything to hurt you, especially not sleep with another guy. Maybe I should be questioning all of your late nights. Huh? There sure have been a lot of them lately," Haley turned her back towards him and looked out the window._

"_Are you accusing me of sleeping with someone else?"_

"_Why not? If you can, so can I," she spun back to face him. "I sure wish you'd let me know about your lack of trust before now. We could've saved a lot of money."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_What else would I be talking about? Or did you forget that we were going to be married in two months?"_

"_Were going to be married?"_

"_I can't be married to someone who doesn't trust me."_

_It was Nathan's turn to be shocked, "Are you calling the wedding off?"_

"_Um, yeah."_

"_Can we talk about this?"_

"_I don't think there IS anything to talk about," she turned back towards the window, "Guess I get throw your shit out on the lawn after all."_

She didn't remember hearing him leave, but he had. And she'd made good on her promise, and had thrown all of his baseball shit out on the lawn. She'd left everything else how it was, but those things were his most prized possessions, and bitter reminders of what had brought them together.

* * *

An hour later, the things had been taken, but she knew he hadn't personally retrieved them. She was pretty sure it had been Tim or Teresa. And she probably had her best friend to thank for them knowing it was out there. Nathan wouldn't have thought she was serious. 

After he'd left she'd called Peyton, who was on vacation with her new fiancé, Jake.

"_Hello?" Peyton answered groggily, 'What time is it anyway?'_

"_The wedding is off."_

"_Haley?"_

"_His shit's out on the lawn, and I never want to see him ever again."_

"_What happened?"_

"_He accused me of sleeping with Mouth?"_

"_Well you did, years ago."_

"_No, he thinks I am again, or rather, still."_

"_What! Where would he ever get that idea?"_

"_He came home tonight, and the two of us had fallen asleep on the couch watching a movie together. Nathan just started yelling. And I told him the wedding was off. I can't marry someone who doesn't trust me."_

"_Oh Hales. I'm on the next plane home."_

"_Don't cut your trip short. I'll see you in a few days. Go back to sleep."

* * *

_

"Haley?" She heard Peyton's voice drift through the house.

"I told you to finish your vacation. I shouldn't have called. Go away!" She shouted down the stairs, not moving from her position on the floor, where she was now surrounded by pictures of every guy she'd had a crush on since high school.

Peyton climbed the steps up to the attic, "What are you doing up here?" She sat next to Haley and picked up a picture, "Wow, I haven't seen these since…"

"I started dating Lucas, I know."

"Wow," she put the picture down, "Did you really call off the wedding?"

"Yes. He doesn't trust me."

"Maybe you were both just overreacting."

"No, I did the right thing. I haven't called to cancel anything yet, but I figured, what's another day, it's not like I'll get any of my money back."

"Who knows about this?"

"You, Mouth, and obviously Nathan. So I'd guess you told Jake, and he told Tim and Teresa."

"Yeah, sorry bout that. If it makes you feel any better, I yelled at Jake after you hung up."

"Why?" Haley looked at her best friend, baffled.

"Because his friend is a dumbass."

"Oh."

"So, you really threw his stuff out on the lawn?"

"Tim tell you that?"

"No, I noticed that stuff was missing as I wandered around the house looking for you."

"Someone came and picked it up."

"Yeah, Jake called Tim and told him he'd better come check, unsure if you'd really do it or not."

"I can't believe he thinks I cheated on him."

"You should talk to him."

"Never again," Haley shook her head. "I've already called to have the locks changed. You and Jake can take him the rest of his things."

"You can't let it end like this."

"I can and I am."

* * *

**Okay, so I hope you liked this chapter. It wasn't an original part of the story, it was something that I decided to add and wrote tonight. Tomorrow we'll see how Nathan's handling this turn of events, before getting on with the rest of the story how I originally wrote it! Thanks for all of the reviews!**


	14. Chapter 14

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 14

* * *

Jake stood in the Smith's kitchen looking at the box sitting next to the door. "So she really threw his stuff out?"

"Not all of it, just that one box. But it's all of his baseball stuff," Tim said sadly.

"Does he know you have it?"

Tim shook his head, "He hasn't even told us yet. His shit would probably still be sitting on her lawn if you hadn't called."

"So you don't know anything more?"

"Nope. All we know is what Peyton told you. That he accused her of sleeping with Mouth and the wedding was called off."

"Think they can work this out?"

"God I would hope so. But I honestly don't know."

Teresa walked into the room with baby Curtis on her hip, "Look who I found sitting on the back porch when I let the dog out."

Nathan walked in behind her, "Hi."

"What the hell happened last night?" Jake blurted out.

"Aren't you supposed to be in New York with Peyton?"

"Yeah, until you pulled your little stunt, which I got yelled at for by the way, and we had to come back."

"I believe Peyton's exact words were, 'Your friend's a dumbass.' I'll also have you know that if it had not been for my quick thinking, your shit would probably still be out on her lawn," he motioned to the box.

"She actually threw my stuff out?"

"Dude, you really pissed her off," Jake shook his head.

Tim spoke up, "You can thank me later for freezing my ass off to collect your stuff."

"Thanks," Nathan hung his head.

"So, are you going to tell us what happened?"

"I got home from work late, and found her in the living room where she'd fallen asleep watching a movie. Only she wasn't alone. Her head was resting on Mouth's chest while his arms were wrapped lightly across her back."

Tim rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah, she's DEFINITELY cheating on you. I mean, seriously man."

"I know, I guess I overreacted."

"You guess?"

"Okay, I know. Anyway, I suggested that maybe she never stopped sleeping with him, and she slapped me before slinging the accusation back in my face, saying maybe with all the late nights lately, I was the one sleeping around and called off the wedding. She said she couldn't be married to a man who didn't trust her."

"So DO you trust her?"

"Of course."

"Then why did you say it?" Teresa asked, walking back into the room, having put Curtis down for his nap.

"I don't know. Work's been stressful. And things have been so crazy at the house, trying to get everything ready. Maybe I just wasn't thinking straight."

"You need to go talk to her."

"If she'll listen."

* * *

Nathan decided to wait until after dinner, hoping that she'd have had plenty of time to cool down, and might be willing to talk. He noticed that her car was gone, so he decided to let himself into the house, and wait for her in the living room. Attempting to put his key in the lock, he immediately realized what she had done, and knew things were going to be more difficult than he thought.

Sitting on the porch, he knew all he could do was sit and wait for her. Moments later, he saw her car turn onto the street. He stood up and approached the driveway.

Haley saw him standing there and rolled down the window, "Can I help you?"

"Can we please talk?"

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Please Haley. I'm so sorry."

"Save it."

"I see you changed the locks."

"Obviously that was a good idea. Otherwise I'd have unwanted visitors in my home."

"But what if I had only come to get my stuff?"

"You and I both know that's not why you're here. If you want your stuff, go get it from Tim, since he was nice enough to cleanup the lawn for me last night."

"But that wasn't everything."

"No, you're right. Jake has the rest, or he will. Peyton and I just dropped a load off. They're coming to get the rest in the morning."

"I could just take it now. Save everyone the time and the trip."

"No, that's okay. She doesn't mind coming to get it. And I DO mind having you in my home. So please leave."

"Not until we talk about this."

"Fine, then I will," she rolled up her window and backed down the driveway.

Nathan watched silently, fearing he would never see her again.

* * *

Nathan next showed up at Jake and Peyton's place.

"Hey man," Jake said as he opened the door, "I don't have all your stuff yet."

His comment didn't even register in Nathan's mind, "She's not here, is she?"

"Peyton?"

"No, Haley."

"No, she's not. I haven't seen her in an hour or so. I was here when she and Peyton returned with your stuff."

"Did she say anything to you? About what happened?"

"She uttered a 'hi', a 'bye', and a 'Tell your friend thanks for breaking my heart.' But that was it. No details. I'm sure she knows they would get back to you."

"Damn it!"

"Did you go over there?"

"Yeah. She's changed the locks, and when she got back she wouldn't get out of the car. I said I wanted to talk, and wasn't going to leave until we did. So she left. I don't know where she went."

"Peyton?" Jake yelled up the steps.

"Yeah babe."

"Have you talked to Haley since she left here?"

"No. Why?" She found her way to the top of the steps.

"Nathan's here, looking for her."

"Hey Nate," Peyton greeted him. "I shouldn't be talking to you."

"Please, Pey. Do you know where she is? I went over there to talk to her but she refused and left." Tears began to well in his eyes, "I have to convince her it was all a mistake. I trust her. I really do. I was just tired. I wasn't thinking straight."

"Let me call her," she paused, "I am only doing this because I think she made a mistake calling off the wedding."

Jake and Nathan sat quietly as Peyton called Haley.

"How's it going? Oh he did? Did you talk to him? Um hmm. So you left? Where are you at now then? Okay, tell Brian and Jesi hi. And call me if you need anything, anything at all. Alright, talk to you later."

"Goodnight Nathan," and with that, Peyton went back upstairs. She felt horrid. She'd just ratted out her best friend. Although, technically she didn't tell him where she was, he just overheard a phone conversation.

"Thank you Peyton," Nathan whispered at her retreating back. "Thanks Jake. Wish me luck."

"Dude, it's getting late. Don't you think the baby's going to be asleep?"

"We'll talk outside then. I can't wait any longer."

"Good luck then."

* * *

Minutes later he found himself parked out front at the Frost's home. It was a smart hiding place. He never would have thought to look for her here. Slowly climbing the stairs, he thought about what he was going to say to her. Heck how he was even going to see her. He knocked on the door.

A few moments later, he heard the chain being slid out of place and Brian pulled open the door. "You need to leave. You're not welcome here."

"Please Brian, I just need to talk to her."

"How could you be such an ass?"

"I know, I know. I want to apologize."

"She's upstairs with baby Ben right now."

"Fine. Then I'll wait."

"I don't think she's going to come down and talk to you. And I'm not going to let you in. Haley would kill me, and then Jesi would do it again. I'm not stepping into that lion's den."

"Just tell her I'm here. Please."

"Fine. But don't expect a miracle."

* * *

Brian went upstairs where he found Haley singing lightly to his young son. The look on her face was of pure happiness, but he knew that underneath she was a ball of sadness. He waited in the doorway, just watching her, until Ben was sound asleep and she placed him in the crib.

Haley turned to the man who she'd noticed standing in the doorway a few minutes before, "He's asleep." She hugged him, "Thanks for letting me stay here tonight." Looking back at Ben she asked, "Think I'll ever have one of my own?"

"A baby? Of course you will."

"Will I be married to the father? Because right now, it's looking like I'm never going to find someone."

"You will. The perfect man is out there for you," he put his head down, "Speaking of which, there's someone outside for you."

"Damn it Peyton," Haley muttered. "Will you tell him to go away?" Brian turned to do just that but Haley stopped him, "Wait, I'll do it. Otherwise he'll never leave."

Brian followed Haley down the steps and met Jesi at the bottom who asked, "Is she really going to talk to him?" She peeked out the window. "He looks so sad out there."

"He should look sad. He really screwed up."

"Have you talked to Mouth?"

"Yeah. He feels awful about the whole thing."

"He shouldn't have to feel bad. He and I used to fall asleep watching TV all the time when he lived with us, but you never thought we were sleeping together."

"I know. And I don't understand why Nathan did? He and Mouth are friends. He should know that they would never do that, well not again anyway."

"I just hope they work things out."

"Me too babe, me too."

* * *

Haley stepped out onto the porch and sat next to Nathan. "I told you to leave me alone."

"Something got you out here."

"Yeah, an extreme annoyance with you. I want you to leave. And don't get Peyton to do your dirty work for you. That's just evil, pitting two best friends against each other."

"Look Haley," Nathan rested a hand lightly on her knee.

She swatted the hand away and stood up, "Don't touch me." She stepped towards the door

"Haley, stop, please," and Nathan reached out, grabbing her hand her hand, which he dropped immediately, remembering what she'd just said. "Please," he pleased, "just hear me out."

Haley stood silent for what seemed like an eternity before sitting back down, this time further away, "Fine."

"I am so sorry about what I said last night."

"You really think I'm going to let you get away with being so vague?"

"Okay, I'm sorry that I jumped to conclusions and accused you of sleeping with Mouth." He looked into her eyes and she tried to avoid seeing the sorrow, the pain and the terror written all over his face. "I love you so much Hales. I mean it when I say I can't imagine my life without you in it. You are the one and only person for me. And I DO trust you. I'm just scared. Things have never gone this well in my life, ever. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. And work has been so stressful lately. And I was pissed at myself for all the late nights. I wished every minute that I was at home with you. Please Haley, reconsider. Don't call of the wedding. I want to make you my wife."

A tear slid down her face, "I can't Nathan. I can't become Mrs. Nathan Scott. Not with this hanging over us. This isn't the only time things are going to be stressful at work. I'm not going to sit by and take absurd accusations every time you're stressed out at work. What will it be next time? Oh, I know, I'll be pregnant, and you'll accuse me of sleeping around and say that you don't even know if the baby's yours. No Nathan. I will NEVER live a life like that. Too many of my family members have been in abusive and controlling relationships, and I promised myself that I never would." She slowly slid her engagement ring off of her finger.

"Haley, no," Nathan cried as she dropped it in his hand.

"Bet now you're wishing you'd waited a few more months to rear that ugly side of your personality. It would've been harder to walk away once we were married." She stood and once again approached the door. And then, with her back to him, tears streaming down her face, and a shaky voice she whispered, "Goodbye Nathan."

* * *

**Please don't hate me. This isn't the end. But the next update may take a little time. With these past two chapters, I have strayed slightly from the story as it was originally written (neither of them existed before) and I decided that the original ending doesn't really work well anymore, so I'm rewritting! But I still promise to finish the story before the premiere next week!**


	15. Chapter 15

**First, sorry for the lack of updates yesterday. But to warn you, today might bring the same. During the rewrite, I'm finding this story hitting home more than i thought it would, and it was bumming me out. Besdies, I had a bad day at work, so that didn't help. Hopefully I'll have my groove back tonight. **

**Okay, so I know Haley was being unreasonable about calling off the wedding, but Lucas didn't trust her, and she knew what that had done to them, she didn't want the same for her and Nathan...**

**This chapter is also the next time jump...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

A Way of Working Out 

Chapter 15

* * *

**One year, six months later…**

Peyton sat with Haley at the now empty bar, "You know, this wasn't how the plan was supposed to go."

"You're the one who invited me out tonight. I have no control over how things are progressing."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about." Peyton looked at her, trying her hardest not to cry. "You were supposed to get married first. Well, only after setting me up with one of his hot friends first, but it was supposed to be you. I was going to be the last one."

"What difference does it make? I set you up before I got married, it doesn't matter that your marriage actually happened and mine didn't."

"But it does. I always said I never wanted this and definitely not this early in my life. But you, you've wanted this as long as I've known you."

"It's fine Peyton, really, it is."

"No, it's not. Maybe it's a sign. I'm not supposed to really be with Jake. It's not too late to back out."

"No Peyton. Things don't always go according to plan, we both know that. You've got the perfect example of that sitting right here. Things didn't go according to my plan at all. You're meant to marry Jake. He loves you, you love him, you're happy together, and you trust each other. It's meant to be."

"Maybe we should've waited longer."

"Why?"

"Well, it's just not right, he IS the best man, and you ARE the maid of honor."

"I told you that you could pick someone else. I'd be okay just being a plain old bridesmaid."

"No, I wanted you to be my maid of honor; I can't imagine anyone else holding that position in my wedding."

"We've talked about this a hundred times Pey. It's not mandatory that we have any contact what so ever during the wedding. You guys worked that out, having the groomsmen already standing up at the alter with Jake. It'll be fine."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"I'm not going into this with you again."

"I'm the bride, just humor me."

"Fine. Six months ago. I went up to see Teresa after Callie was born and he showed up while I was still there."

"Then what did you do?"

"I congratulated Tim and Teresa and left."

"Without even acknowledging his presence."

"So. It's not like he did either."

"You still love him, don't you."

"So what's your point?"

"Maybe you could bring someone."

"Like a date?" Haley asked with surprise in her voice.

"Well yeah, why not. You could do it to make him jealous."

"Peyton Sawyer! That's just evil! Besides, I don't have anyone to ask."

"I'll find someone. And even if id doesn't make him jealous, it would give you something else to focus on."

"I don't think so."

"I do, and I have the perfect person in mind."

"I like my plan of just plain avoidance better."

"You can still avoid him, but you'll have a hot guy at your side as a bonus."

* * *

Meanwhile, things weren't going so smoothly with Jake and Nathan. 

"Come on man," Jake urged, "Peyton and I can't live the rest of our lives making sure that my plans with you don't over lap her plans with Haley, and neither of you are going anywhere. It's time to move on. She has, she's bringing a date."

"What?" Nathan snapped his head up to look at Jake.

"Well yeah, it's been a year. Just because you aren't, that doesn't mean she shouldn't be dating again."

"Have you met him?"

"Yeah, he's a great guy. Actually, you know him too…"

"I do?" Nathan asked, silently praying it wasn't Mouth.

"Yeah, do you remember Jorgensen?"

"As in Brady Jorgensen, they guy we played baseball with?"

"Yep."

"I never would have pegged him as her type. Didn't he marry Sam Rasmussen a few years back?"

"Yeah, but things didn't work out."

"Oh, well maybe I'll just have to bring someone myself."

"Oh really?"

"Sure, why not."

"So you'll still be my best man?"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

'That's not the same tune you were humming 10 minutes ago,' Jake thought silently, remembering the argument they'd been having.

"_I know I said I could, but I don't think I can do this Jake," Nathan shook his head. "I thought I'd be ready, but I'll never be ready."_

"_But you're my best friend. And this was the arrangement. I was Tim's best man, you'd be mine, and he'll be yours."_

"_I'm never getting married. Just let Tim be your best man. There's still a week, he'd still be able to write a great toast. I don't ever need to be a best man."_

"_But you still have to be at the wedding."_

"_Yeah, about that."_

"_Don't you dare. You are my best and oldest friend. You have to be there. Who cares if your ex-fiancé is going to be there? It's time you move on. There will be plenty of hot chicks there, weddings are a GREAT place to meet women."_

"_But I lost the only woman who will ever matter to me."_

"_Yeah, and she's going to be there, and she also happens to be the maid of honor. But you knew all of that. And there's no time like the present to move on."_

Jake was curious to see how Nathan would be bringing with him. Although, he had a pretty good idea. He just hoped that Peyton and Teresa's idea worked.

* * *

**Let me know what you think of this chapter...**


	16. Chapter 16

A Way of Working Out

Chapter 16

* * *

Nathan stood next to Jake the following Saturday, watching Haley walk down the isle. She looked so beautiful in the pale green dress that Peyton had picked for her bridesmaids. Although, he'd always thought she looked beautiful in anything.

On the outside, Haley was smiling as she walked up the isle, but inside she was a nervous wreck. After the rehearsal, she more unsure about her feelings than ever…

_Haley stood off to the side, holding the bouquet of bows as Peyton and Jake were walked through the steps they'd be taking the next day. She tried to pretend that the bows were EXTEMELY interesting, not wanting to look up and see Nathan starring at her. Because he was, she'd already caught him twice. She was startled when she was told it was time to exit the church. _

_Listening to the directions the priest was giving her, she swore silently at Jake and Peyton. They had conveniently changed the entrance so that she would not have to walk with Nathan, but had failed to mention that they would still be walking out together._

_Nathan grimaced, he wasn't sure he was going to be able to handle having Haley so close, but he stuck out his elbow, and she gently wrapped her arm through his. "You look beautiful tonight."_

"_Thanks," Haley whispered. She'd forgotten just what his touch did to her._

"_You know, I thought the only time we did this, you would be in a long white dress." Nathan immediately regretted his words._

"_You're the one who didn't trust me," Haley hissed. There was no way she was going to tell him that she'd been thinking the exact same thing._

The rest of the evening had been spent in an uncomfortable, tension filled silence between the two of them. Haley wasn't sure she'd make through him touching her again today. She'd actually felt like she would melt last night. Although, she was pretty certain no snide comments would me made this time.

Nathan listened as the priest announced Jake and Peyton as Mr. and Mrs. Jagelski. He couldn't help but be jealous. He wasn't supposed to be the last one to be part of a Mr. and Mrs. team. Not that it made any difference, but if he hadn't screwed up, and Haley hadn't been unreasonable, he'd be married, and maybe they would even have a baby by now.

* * *

Haley sat next to Teresa at the head table and glancing at Nathan talking to his date before taking his place at the table hissed, "I can't believe he brought HER."

"What difference does it make? You brought a date," Teresa was laughing inside, excited that the plan was working.

"Only because Peyton told me to. And he's married. So it doesn't really count."

"Nathan doesn't know he's married."

"But Kristy?"

"He keeps looking at you, and shooting daggers at Brady. So you're definitely making him jealous," what Teresa DIDN'T mention, was that Kristy too was married.

"You know he still loves you don't you?"

"He does?"

"Don't be dumb Haley. You know he does. And you still love him, don't you."

"No," she saw Teresa's glare, "Fine, yes, I still love him."

"Then why aren't the two of you together?"

"Because he doesn't trust me."

"Come on Haley. You've played that one out…"

Peyton interrupted, "Whatcha talking about?"

"The usual argument," Teresa muttered, "Haley loves Nathan, but he doesn't trust her."

"That's it Haley James. You are going to talk to him. We've put up with this long enough."

"I'm not going to talk to him Pey. It's bad enough that you made us walk out of the church together."

"I was hoping it would spark something."

"It did. It sparked an argument."

"You know damn well what I meant," Peyton paused, "Besides, it's my wedding day, and I'm supposed to be happy. I'll only be truly happy if you talk to Nathan."

"Peyton," Haley whined.

"Oh, it's on James. As soon as dinner is over…" Peyton's sentence trailed off as glasses were clinked, and Jake leaned in for a kiss.

* * *

Haley watched Peyton dancing with her dad out on the dance floor. Since dinner, Peyton had been swept from one wedding ritual to another, which left with no time to force Haley into talking to Nathan.

She quickly found out though, that Peyton was playing dirty. After the parents dance, was supposed to be the wedding party dance, so Haley was just as surprised as Nathan who caught her eyes from across the room, when they heard what the DJ announced, "As a special request by the bride and groom, the next dance is for the maid of honor and the best man." Haley heard the opening bars for Lonestar's _Not a Day Goes By_ and found herself being shoved onto the dance floor.

Nathan stood in the middle of the dance floor, looking at Haley, feeling extremely awkward. Not only was this not supposed to be happening, but they now had half of the town starring at them.

He walked slowly towards her and held out his hand, which she surprisingly accepted. On instinct he pulled her close, "Do you know how long I've wanted to do this?"

"One year, six months, and 10 days," Haley whispered.

Nathan glanced at his watch, "And 56 minutes. I've never been so sorry for anything in my entire life Haley. I wish you could understand that."

"Shhhh," Haley whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't want to remember this moment as being filled with words.

* * *

**Okay, so I hope you like this chapter. There is still at least one or two more chapters during this 'time period' before I make my next jump to tie-up the story. Please review. :)  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, so I apologize for it taking me longer than usual to update this story...I was trying to figure out the best way to write the chapter. I hope you like it!**

* * *

A Way of Working Out 

Chapter 17

* * *

Peyton stood next to Jake, "See, I told you that the plan would work."

"Just because they're dancing doesn't mean it worked."

"Of course it does," she snuggled closer to him.

Not wanting to start an argument on their wedding night, Jake agreed with her, "Of course it does."

Teresa and Tim walked up behind the happy couple, "Think they'll stay dancing partners for the next song?"

"Of course they will," Peyton smiled, Jake just rolled his eyes at Tim. While they both thought Nathan and Haley belonged together, they weren't real keen on the plan their wives had cooked up. "Because even if they don't want to, we're going to make sure that everyone else is with their dance partner before stepping out onto the floor. They won't have choice."

"You two are pure evil," Tim laughed.

"You won't be thinking that once they're back together and we don't have to work around them anymore. Just you wait."

* * *

The song ended and Haley lingered in Nathan's arms. She almost forgot why she wasn't spending everyday of her life wrapped in them.

"That was nice Haley, thank you," Nathan began to let her go, only to notice that as the wedding party dance began, it had been worked out so that he and Haley would once again be dance partners. Knowing it was the work of his best friend's new wife, he quietly whispered, "Thank you Peyton," as he pulled Haley back into his arms. "It looks like you're stuck with me again."

Haley looked around, "Looks that way."

The duo danced this song in silence as well. And when the song ended, Nathan whispered in her ear, "I love you Haley."

The words scared Haley. She didn't know why. She knew it was true. Everyone was always telling her that he still loved her and was heartbroken. But to actually here him say those four simple words to her after what she'd done to him a year and a half before, she didn't know what to think. She pushed away from Nathan and ran out the nearest door.

Teresa and Tim slid up next to Jake and Peyton, "You guys stay here. We'll go figure out what happened," Tim said.

Peyton whispered to Jake, "It looked like things were going so well."

"I know babe. I'm sure they'll be okay."

* * *

Tim approached Nathan who was now sitting at the head table, nursing the remainder of his drink from dinner. "What happened out there man?"

"It was so nice. She misses me. I just know it. But it was wonderful being so close to her again, and holding her, man I never wanted to let go. And I don't think she did either."

"Did you say something to her? Because obviously, something caused her to go running out those doors."

"I told her I loved her."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Hmmm…" Tim paused, "Teresa went after her. Hopefully she'll figure something out. But maybe YOU should go talk to her."

"I will, after Teresa comes back in."

"That may be a while. Give them 10 minutes. If they're still out there, go interrupt. It'll be fine."

* * *

It took a few minutes before Teresa found Haley across the street, sitting on the stairs overlooking the lake. Silently she sat down next to her, and Haley rested her head on her shoulder. "What happened in there Hales?"

"He loves me."

"You knew that."

"And he misses me, more than I miss him," lifting her head she looked at her friend, "He knows down to the minutes how long it's been since we broke up."

"And that's a bad thing."

"No," Haley shook her head, "It scared me. How can he still love me so much, after everything that I put him through? He should be happy. Not waiting for someone who's so damn afraid of making a mistake that she'll throw away the best thing that ever happened to her."

"You hurt him Haley. I know that for a fact. But, he knows you're the one. He's always asking about you. He waited for 10 years before becoming your boyfriend. He's willing to wait another 10 years if it meant he would finally get to be your husband."

"How do we go back?"

"You don't have to go back. First you need to talk to him. And then you just move forward."

"Will it really be that simple?"

"Only if you let it be that simple."

"Thanks Teresa." As her friend stood up, Haley said, "Will you find Nathan, and send him out here, please?"

"Of course," Teresa patted her friend's should as she turned around. What she saw as her eyes adjusted to the light surprised her. Nathan was standing there, silently watching them. Teresa approached him, "Hey."

"Hey."

"She's all yours."

Nathan gave her a small closed smile, "Thanks."

* * *

Haley glanced at Nathan as he sat down, "Sorry I ran out," she looked down at her hands, playing with the bracelet she almost never wore.

Nathan slid his hand over hers, "Its okay. Hey, isn't that the bracelet your dad gave you?" He wanted her to feel comfortable.

"Yeah," she smiled, remembering how glad she had been when he'd returned from Iraq after sixteen months, and then had decided not to go back. "I feel bad, I almost never wear it."

"I'm sure he understands. So, um, not to change the subject or anything, but can we talk?"

"Yeah," she finally looked into his eyes, "I was hoping we could."

"Listen Haley…" he began.

"Nathan…"

"No, please, just let me say this Haley," he lightly brushed her cheek, "I've missed you every minute of everyday. And I kick myself on a regular basis for making you believe that I don't trust you. I do. I was scared."

"I know Nathan, not a day goes by that I don't regret the way I responded. It's just that I was scared too. Trust was the downfall of my relationship with Lucas, and I couldn't stand the idea that it would kill us too. So I bailed, letting it tear us apart anyway."

"I meant what I said earlier. I love you. I always have," he leaned in for a kiss, only to meet Haley's cheek instead as she turned away.

"Why did you bring her?" Haley asked quietly.

"Kristy?" Nathan laughed, "Because I heard you were bringing a date. How long have you been seeing him. And what's with you and baseball guys?"

Haley looked at him again and smiled, "I just can't resist them I guess," she kissed him lightly, "But there's only one who really matters to me. It was Peyton's idea that I bring him. She said it would make you jealous."

"Well, it worked," he kissed her again.

"Wanna know something else? He's married? Jake and Peyton invited him to the wedding, but his wife couldn't make it. He hasn't stopped talking about his kids, who stayed at home with his wife, all night."

Nathan laughed, "I bet you he found his way to Kristy. She's been talking about her husband and kids non-stop."

Haley smiled, "Why didn't she bring them?"

"She and Jake lost touch over the years, and she didn't get an invite, so I asked her to do me a favor of posing as my date to make a girl, who was bringing her new boyfriend, jealous. Lucky for me, she agreed."

"Who's the girl?" Haley grinned, she kissed him once more before asking, "How did you know I was bringing someone, and what ever gave you the idea he was my boyfriend," she paused, "Wait, let me guess, Peyton?"

"Jake actually, but close enough," wrapping his arms around her, he asked, "So, think we could spend the rest of the night out here, or do you think they're missing us in there?"

"They're not missing us…Tim and Teresa can easily handle the dollar dance," she smiled, but I'm guessing they're dying for our return. They want to know if their plan worked or not," resting her head on his shoulder she whispered, "Let them wait just a little bit longer."

"I'm down with that."

* * *

"Honestly," Peyton mumbled.

"What was that?" Jake asked as they continued to dance.

"What's taking them so darn long?"

"Who cares? They're out there together aren't they? I thought that was what you wanted."

"Yeah, but what if…"

"Peyton Elizabeth Saw…" Jake paused, "Jagelski," he smiled at her, she was really his wife now, but, he thought 'that's going to take some getting used to.' Snapping back to what he had started to say, "This is OUR wedding day. Stop worrying about Nathan and Haley. If things are meant to work out, they will. There's nothing more you can do tonight." Sticking out his lip he pretended to pout, "I'm beginning to feel neglected."

"Oh, you poor baby. Let me make you feel better," she leaned in for a kiss that left their onlookers cheering.

"Wowsers Mrs. Jagelski. Care to bust this joint and…"

"Don't even say it," she started before whispering, "There will be plenty of time for that later." She looked around, "You're right, this is our wedding party, and we should be living it up out here. Let's get this party really started," and she drug Jake towards the DJs station to request some faster music.

After dancing a few more songs Peyton looked at Jake, "I'm parched, could you go get me something to drink?"

"Anything for you babe."

Peyton watched Jake walk away and made a beeline for Teresa, "Okay, this has to be quick. I promised Jake I'd drop it," she grimaced, "but I'm just so damn curious. Any sign of them coming in?"

Teresa laughed and pointed to the end of the head table, "They snuck in while you and Jake were out there doing god knows what."

Peyton looked over to where Teresa had pointed and saw Nathan and Haley sitting, head to head, whispering, "That's gotta be good, right?"

"They were holding hands when they came back in."

"Yes!" Peyton quietly exclaimed, seeing Jake approaching, "Thanks babe," she took her drink from him, "Hey, look who decided to join the party," she smiled at him as she took a sip of her drink.

"You did good Pey," he wrapped his arms around her, "Now maybe you'll attend to my needs more."

"If you insist," she smiled as they waltzed back to the dance floor.


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay, so these next few chapters are short, but they're worth it. There are only a few more updates left! Enjoy!**

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A Way of Working Out 

Chapter 18

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**Two weeks later….**

Haley sat with Peyton at the kitchen table, grilling Peyton for details about her honeymoon. They'd only returned the night before, and Haley was sure she was tired, but Peyton had insisted on coming over this morning.

Peyton looked at her friend in disgust, "Honestly, do I really have to ask?"

"What?"

"Duh. Where do things stand with you and Nathan? The two of you were looking pretty cozy the last I saw you."

"Oh," Haley shrugged, "that. We've talked a couple times since. No big deal."

"No big deal? And only a couple times? In two weeks?" Peyton sighed in frustration, "I guess that's more times than you talked in the eighteen months you were apart, but really, only a couple times?"

Haley loved baiting her friend, and it was so easy. But she wasn't about to tell her, at least not for a few more minutes anyway, that Nathan was still asleep upstairs. "Yeah, we both admit to having made a mistake, and to still loving each other, but we just don't think it's the right time."

"Not the right time? Are you kidding me? So you're NOT back together?"

"Why don't you tell me more about your trip?"

"Haley James! Don't you dare change the subject on me."

"Fine. No, we're not back together."

"For Pete's sake, you two are so frustrating. What's the deal?"

Haley tried to hide her smile as she saw Nathan sitting behind Peyton at the bottom of the steps, "He and Kristy decided to give it another shot."

"You're not serious. But he loves you. And besides, she's married," Peyton paused as the light clicked on, "You are so evil!"

"I know, but you still love me anyway," Haley smiled and hugged her, "Thanks for interfering with my life."

"So things are good with you two?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," she flashed a big smile and nodded for Peyton to look behind her.

Nathan walked towards them and Peyton hugged him, "Oh Nathan," she pulled Haley into the hug, "I am so excited for you guys."

As they separated, Nathan kept his arm wrapped lightly around Haley's waist.

"Oooh, you two are so cute. Wait 'til I tell Jake."

Haley looked at Nathan and he nodded, "We were going to wait to tell all of you at dinner tomorrow, but I can't wait," she smiled excitedly, "We've decided to get married."

Peyton clapped her hands together, "Really? Oh, I can't wait."

"Well," Nathan said, "You won't have to wait long. We talked to the priest, and since we'd already done most of our premarital classes, he said he'd let us pick up where we left off, and we can get married in three months."

"Are you serious?" Peyton looked at the couple in shock.

Haley nodded her head, "Yes. But I might need some help getting things ready."

"Oh, I am so there."

"Congratulations you two," Peyton hugged them again.


	19. Chapter 19 The End

**So, I decided to make this the last chapter. I think it works well, much better than the ending I previously had planned. I know it's short, but it's what makes me happy, so I hope it leaves you happy too! **

**Please review, let me know what you thought. **

**Now I will get to work on updating my other Naley stories...look for updates with them soon!**

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A Way of Working Out 

Chapter 19 - The End

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**One week before the wedding….**

"Hey babe, what's up?" Nathan answering the phone in his office

"Nathan, we need to talk," she says.

"What is it honey?" Fearing the worst, he hoped everything was okay.

"Well, um…when could you be home?"

"I'm on my way now."

"They don't mind you leaving?"

"You know Jake won't mind. I'll see you soon."

"Okay, I love you."

"Love you too," Nathan hung up the phone and went in search of Jake. Finding him in his office, he knocked before entering, "Hey, I need to take the afternoon off."

"Is everything okay?"

"I hope so. Haley just called, and wanted to know when I could be home. She says we need to talk."

"Say no more. But call me later, let me know everything's okay."

"Will do," and Nathan walked out of the room, quickly heading for the parking garage.

Nathan immediately called Tim, "Heads up…"

"Hello to you too," Tim joked, but noting the tone in his voice asked, "What's up?"

"I don't know. Nathan just left here. Haley called, said they needed to talk and asked him to come home."

"Oh God, please tell me everything's okay."

"I sure hope so. I hope she's just freaking about something small and insignificant about the wedding. I remember Peyton freaking out about the smallest things in the last days."

"You don't think she's calling it off, again, do you?"

"I don't think so," thinking of the last time he added, "God I hope not, for all of our sakes. He's supposed to call later. I'll let you know what I hear."

"Thanks for letting me know."

Nathan walks in the front door to see Haley sitting on the couch, head in her hands. Sitting next to her, he wrapped his arms around her.

She looked up at him with a tear stained face, "Oh Nathan," she buried her head in his neck.

"What wrong Hales?"

"I'm pregnant."

Lifting up her face to wipe away a tear he smiled, "That's great." As her tears start again he responds, "Or not," he paused before saying, "I thought we decided that we'd try for a baby right away."

"We did," she sniffled, "But everyone's going to know that we got pregnant before we got married."

"Who cares?" He looked at her, "I sure don't, and I'm guessing that our friends won't either. Heck, I bet I can quote Peyton exactly," clearing his throat he said, "It's about damn time."

Haley smiled, "Yeah, you're probably right," she kissed him lightly, "Thanks. Sorry I freaked out. I just wasn't expecting it. That's all."

"But you're okay with it, right?"

"Oh yeah, I can't wait to bring our first baby into the world. The only thing I want more right now, is you," she kissed him again.

"Mmmmm," Nathan groaned, "I like the sound of that."

"I thought you might," she grinned as she led him towards the stairs.

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**Thanks for reading!**  



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